Alcohol abuse in girls linked to weaker bones

Teenage girls who binge drink could be weakening their bones, after a US study found that those who had frequently binged from high school onwards had lower bone mass in their spines than their peers.

The findings came in a survey of drinking habits among 87 women, aged 18 to 20, at a college in the US. The participants also had the bone density in their spines measured.

This link was also seen when factors including exercise, nutrition and smoking habits were taken into account. The research was published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.