EFFECT OF ETHANOL FEEDING ON BONE COMPOSITION IN THE RAT

The effect of ethanol feeding for a period of 3 months on the mineral and collagen content of bone was determined in the rat. Ethanol feeding resulted in no changes in the density or in the concentrations of calcium, phosphorus, hydroxyproline, or nitrogen in the tibiae. Also, the serum concentrations of calcium, phosphorus, and 25-hydroxyvitamin D were unaffected by ethanol feeding. The development of a mild degree of osteomalacia was suggested, however, by decreases in EDTA-extractable mineral content and in the calcium/hydroxyproline ratio in the tibiae of the ethanol-fed as compared with the control animals. The urinary excretion of glycosaminoglycans was not changed by ethanol-feeding while the urinary excretion of peptide-bound hydroxyproline was increased. The minimal bone changes found after ethanol feeding in this study are an unlikely cause for the observed increases in the urinary excretion of hydroxyproline.