Bone health is crucial since there are many factors that may affect it adversely. Among the most important ones are age, gender, family history, low estrogen and testosterone levels, poor vitamin D intake, poor calcium level in blood, certain medication, excessive alcohol drinking, smoking, lack of exercise, and disease conditions.

Heavy drinking and smoking are injurious to health for many reasons, including their effects on bones. Chronic alcohol consumption during young age can dramatically affect the bone health and increase the risk for developing osteoporosis later in adult life.

Alcohol interferes in calcium and vitamin D absorption, two key nutrients for bone health. Slowly the person develops calcium and vitamin D deficiency states due to which the bone health deteriorates. Furthermore, blood level shows an increase in two potentially bone-damaging hormones, cortisol and parathyroid hormone. High levels of cortisol can reduce bone formation and increase bone breakdown. Similarly, an increased level of parathyroid hormone helps in leaching out calcium from within the bone. Excess alcohol consumption also destroys osteoblasts, the bone forming cells.

Another major drawback of heavy alcohol consumption is that it leads to nutritional deficiencies that may cause peripheral neuropathy – a nerve condition affecting the functioning of the hands and feet. Due to this, resulting imbalance can lead to falls and bone fractures. Heavy drinkers are more likely to suffer frequent fractures due to brittle bones and nerve damage, especially hip and spine fractures.

Even worse, the existing malnutrition will interfere with the normal healing process of the broken bones. However, bones start to recover fairly rapidly, after quitting alcohol. Some studies have also found that lost bone can be partially restored when alcohol abuse ends.

If you're a smoker, it's important that you quit that habit, too. And of course, if you are a heavy drinker who also smokes, it makes your bone problems even worse. In fact, studies suggest that quitting smoking helps people recover from alcoholism. It’s important that you need to quit both habits for your bone health.