Neck Solutions

Moderate alcohol consumption may decrease risk of intervertebral disc degeneration

From: Med Hypotheses. 2008 Jul 14; [Epub ahead of print]

Intervertebral disc degeneration is a serious health problem worldwide. Unfortunately, efforts to control intervertebral disc degeneration are largely unsuccessful. It is therefore important to get better understanding of risks. Various evidences indicate that moderate alcohol consumption has protective effect on intervertebral disc degeneration. Here, we review the clinical evidence on alcohol consumption and intervertebral disc degeneration, and propose a possible mechanism. There is increasing evidence indicating that moderate alcohol consumption keeps the feeding arteries smooth. Furthermore, strong evidence indicates that some inflammatory factors are very important in the pathophysiology of intervertebral disc degeneration, while moderate alcohol consumption can decrease the expression of these inflammatory factors. Moreover, experimental studies show that alcohol exposure could increase the type II collagen and aggrecan, the major constituents of nucleus pulposus matrix. Given the above background, we hypothesize that moderate alcohol consumption may reduce the risk of intervertebral disc degeneration.