CORVALLIS, Ore. (WCCO) — A new study finds women who drink a moderate amount of alcohol can help prevent bone loss and that lowers their risk of getting osteoporosis.

Researchers at Oregon State University studied post-menopausal women who regularly had one or two drinks a day. They found when the women stopped drinking for two weeks, their rates of bone turnover went up. That’s when bone is lost and replaced — something the body is constantly doing.

With Osteoporosis, more bone is lost than is replaced, which results in weak bones that are more likely to break.

When the women resumed drinking after two weeks, their rates of bone turnover returned to the previous lower levels.

Most of the women in the study drank wine.