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Family dinners may play a role in reducing teenage alcohol, drug and vaping use.

A new study published in the Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment and Trauma suggests that regularly sharing meals as a family may help discourage substance use among many adolescents, news agency SWNS reported.

The study found that higher-quality family meals were linked to lower rates of alcohol, cannabis and e-cigarette use for most teenagers.

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For those with more severe adverse childhood experiences, shared meals alone appeared to offer little protection.

To reach those findings, researchers analyzed online survey data from 2,090 adolescents aged 12 to 17 and their parents from across the United States.

Participants were asked about the quality of their family meals, including communication, enjoyment, digital distractions and logistical challenges.

Teenagers were also asked about their alcohol, vaping and cannabis use during the previous six months.

Researchers examined whether family meals were more or less effective depending on teenagers’ levels of household stress and traumatic experiences, using reports from both parents and teens, SWNS explained.

Rather than treating all adverse experiences the same, the team weighted each factor according to how strongly it has been linked to substance use in previous research.

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Among adolescents with lower levels of childhood adversity, higher-quality family meals were linked to a 22% to 34% reduction in reported substance use.

Margie Skeer, the study’s lead author and a professor at Tufts University, told SWNS that the findings reinforce the importance of routine family connection.

“These findings build on what we already knew about the value of family meals as a practical and widely accessible way to reduce the risk of adolescent substance use,” Skeer said.

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She said regular family meals can help create opportunities for consistent communication and parental involvement, which may play a role in reducing risky behaviors over time.

However, the study found that family meals offered limited benefit for adolescents whose adversity scores reached the equivalent of four or more adverse childhood experiences.

“While our research suggests that adolescents who have experienced more severe stressors may not see the same benefits from family meals, they may benefit from more targeted and trauma-informed approaches, such as mental health support and alternative forms of family engagement,” Skeer noted.

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Potential limitations the researchers noted include the study’s cross-sectional design, which means the findings cannot establish cause and effect between family meals and substance use. The use of online recruitment may also limit how broadly the results apply to all families.

When people think about protecting their health, bone health often takes a back seat to more prominent concerns like cancer or heart disease.

But for women, bone density can become a real issue with age, as osteoporosis weakens bones and increases the risk of fractures.

Dr. Mary Claire Haver, a board-certified OB-GYN, certified menopause specialist and associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Texas Medical Branch, talked to Fox News Digital about the severity of this threat.

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“About 50% of women can expect to have an osteoporotic fracture before they die,” she said. “That is triple the rate of men.”

Osteoporosis is defined as a “bone disease that develops when bone mineral density and bone mass decreases or when the structure and strength of bone changes,” according to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.

The condition can cause the bones to become so weak and brittle that a fall or even mild stress, like coughing, can cause a break.

Haver, also founder of The ‘Pause Life, a health and wellness platform focused on supporting women through midlife changes, noted that the “downfall” after these fractures can be “pretty devastating.”

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Fractures can lead to disability, death and high medical costs, according to a blog post by Haver on The ‘Pause Life’s website.

Risks and warning signs

Haver emphasized that osteoporosis is a “largely preventable” disease.

“Paying attention to the lifestyle, the behaviors, possibly the medications that can prevent osteoporosis earlier in life, will really help stave off some of the loss of independence that women are suffering from as they age,” she told Fox News Digital.

The condition is more likely to occur in those who have hormone imbalances, have undergone gastrointestinal surgery, have low calcium intake or experience disordered eating, according to Haver and the Mayo Clinic. Those with a family history of osteoporosis may also face a higher risk.

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People who have taken corticosteroid medicines for conditions like seizures, gastric reflux, cancer and transplant rejection are more susceptible, as are those with celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease, kidney or liver disease, multiple myeloma and rheumatoid arthritis.

Although osteoporosis is sometimes referred to as a “silent disease,” which can progress without symptoms until a fracture occurs, there are a few subtle clues that may indicate “lower than normal” bone density, Haver said.

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These include loss of height, back pain, receding gums, and weak or brittle nails.

Osteoporosis can also be caused by certain unhealthy habits, such as being sedentary, consuming excessive alcohol and using tobacco.

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The Mayo Clinic reported, “People who spend a lot of time sitting have a higher risk of osteoporosis than do those who are more active.”

Haver agreed that staying physically active, while getting enough calcium and vitamin D through a healthy diet or supplementation, can help maintain healthy bone density.

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“Engage in weight-bearing exercise and resistance training, avoid smoking and excessive alcohol consumption, and talk to a doctor about any medications that may affect bone health,” she wrote in her blog post.

“Regular bone density testing may also be recommended for some individuals to monitor their bone health and identify any potential issues early on.”