The experts have changed their minds once again, now deciding that alcohol is not bad for your bones. On July 11, the journal Menopause published a paper telling us that one to two alcoholic drinks a day may curb bone loss.

In this study, researchers at Oregon State University followed 40 women in early menopause who drank, on average 1.4 drinks a day—the vast majority of it wine. The women were healthy, were not taking hormones and did not have osteoporosis. The researchers monitored several chemical markers used to track how fast the bones of the study participants were being remodeled. (Bones are in a constant state of ‘home improvement,’ with new bone replacing old bone.) Blood samples were tested at the start of the study, after two weeks of holding off from alcohol and then again the morning after an evening drink. 

After two weeks without alcohol, average rates of bone turnover and replacement had increased, reflecting an increased risk of fracture. After abstaining, a single evening drink was enough to trigger a decrease in bone turnover rates, thus decreasing fracture risk.

These new findings are similar to those published in 2009 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. A team at Tufts University found that both men and women who were moderate drinkers had greater bone density than those who drank either more or less. In fact, not even calcium could match the effects of moderate alcohol on bone density.

If this seems a bit confusing, it should be. This is an about-face from what we read in the journals more than a decade ago—and the advice that has prevailed for years. For example, the May 1997 issue of the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, couldn't have been more clear: “The habitual consumption of even moderate quantities of alcohol (1 to 2 drinks/day) is clearly linked with reduced bone mass (osteopenia).” Since then, doctors have been advising women to abstain if they want to protect their bones. With these two newer studies, though, doctors may just start toasting the bone-protecting effects of the daily glass of wine.