Alcohol Consumption May be Linked With Loss of Muscle Mass in Older Women: Korean Experts

A team of Korean experts have found that Sacropenia speed up in old, post-menopausal women who consume excessive alcohol. Sarcopenia is the loss of skeletal muscle mass associated with age-induced degeneration. In a first, the study aimed to look at the associations between alcohol consumption and age-related drop in strength in post-menopausal women. Close to 2000 post-menopausal women participated in the study out of which nearly 8% reported to have been suffering from Sacropenia.

These women were divided into groups and those clubbed under the high-risk alcohol drinking group were 4 times more prone to developing sarcopenia. The study was published in the journal of The North American Menopause Society and urged women to monitor their alcohol intake closely in order to keep health ailments at bay.

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism notes, "Alcohol use may impact the health and well-being of postmenopausal women through the direct interaction of alcohol with organ systems and hormones". Excessive alcohol consumption may meddle with hormones while these "circulating hormones" may affect risk of developing breast cancer, coronary heart disease and osteoporosis. As per the research paper published by a team of experts at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine in North Carolina, US, alcohol consumption has a direct impact on organs like liver, the brain as well as the gastrointestinal system.

A recently published study linked moderate alcohol consumption with risks of cognitive decline and called for reformulation of alcohol consumption guidelines across the globe.