A hangover may not be the only thing students have in store for them after nights of heavy drinking.

A study from Loyola University Health System, published in the July-August issue of the journal Alcohol and Alcoholism, reported a link between binge drinking and an increased risk for osteoporosis later in life.

‘This is something that has really flown under the radar,’ said Dr. John Callaci, assistant professor at Loyola and one of the authors of this study. ‘No one has looked at the health effects (of adolescent binge drinking) because, generally, adolescents seem so healthy.’

Researchers injected alcohol into adolescent rats to raise their blood alcohol level to more than three times the legal limit of 0.08. One group of rats received injections for three consecutive days, giving them an acute binge. A second group received injections for three consecutive days for four weeks in a row, giving them a chronic binge. A control group was given saline injections.

Callaci, Loyola graduate students Kristen Lauing and Phillip Roper, and lab technician Ryan Himes co-authored the study.

The rats exposed to acute and chronic binges displayed a disruption in 300 and 180 bone-related genes, respectively, which included a decrease in the amount of RNA within those genes. RNA is the template for making proteins, which, in turn, are the basis for bones.

Data gathered from animal studies does not translate definitely to people, but it can alert researchers to patterns that may coincide, Callaci said.

‘Things happen much faster in rats,’ Callaci said. ‘Three days of drinking alone isn’t going to cause bone loss … but a person who drinks on weekends for six months to a year may start to have some bone loss.’

Binge drinking, which peaks between ages 18 and 22, is defined as a woman consuming four or more drinks or a man consuming five or more drinks on one occasion, according to the study. Heavy binge drinking is defined as consuming more than 10 to 15 drinks.

Most of a person’s bone mass is built up during adolescence, which coincides with the peak binge-drinking time, the study reported. The less bone mass people establish before their 30s, the more likely they are to experience weak bones later in life.

Once damage is done, bones may not return to normal, even if a person stops drinking, according to the study.

‘The take home here is the way you treat your body when you’re young is going to affect you when you’re older,’ Callaci said. ‘You really have to start taking care of yourself when you’re young.’

It’s important for students to realize that the effects of binge drinking will last longer than their college years, said Cheryl Flynn, interim medical director of Syracuse University’s Health Services.

‘Binge drinking is a common part of college life, yes, but common does not mean harmless,’ Flynn said.

She said there is increasing medical evidence demonstrating the harms of too much alcohol, with possible effects including liver disease, cancer, fertility issues, high blood pressure, heart disease, strokes and brain dysfunction.

‘Developmentally speaking, adolescents and young adults tend to think about short-term, immediate consequences and to focus on the perceived benefits rather than the very real harms,’ Flynn said.

The immediate effects of drinking may cause students to drink without considering any other effects, said Matt Rosania, a freshman engineering major.

‘After a few drinks, some students think ‘I feel so cool. I should drink more so I keep feeling better,” Rosania said.

Dayle Magida, a junior music industry major, said she did not think the study would cause changes to current binge drinking behavior.

‘Everyone will do what they want no matter what,’ Magida said. ‘They think ‘Oh, we’re young, it doesn’t matter.”

kkfangma@syr.edu

Published on August 30, 2010 at 12:00 pm