Osteoporosis

Harvard Medical School has derived a number of healthy practices for all of us to emulate. The following article will try to paraphrase the critical points on exercise, and why all of us should do it. And, for the ones who do it, perhaps they need to do more!

The Benefit of Fitness

Probably by now, everyone acknowledges the health benefits of exercise. Everyone should get at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise daily. Daily is not too much, as human beings we were designed to get a lot more exercise than just daily for 30 minutes. Benefits accrue quickly. Among them are:

Osteoporosis makes your bones weak and more likely to break. Anyone can develop osteoporosis, but it is common in older women. As many as half of all women and a quarter of men older than 50 will break a bone due to osteoporosis.

Risk factors include

• Getting older

• Being small and thin

• Having a family history of osteoporosis

• Taking certain medicines

• Being a white or Asian woman

Loss of estrogen during menopausal years has been related to bone loss and osteoporosis. Now, news that a soy by-product, which has a 'pseudo-estrogen' or phytoestrogen, may help prevent some of this bone loss.

Treatment with 54 mg/day of the soy isoflavone genistein for 2 years was effective in preventing bone loss caused by estrogen deficiency.

Phytoestrogens are a natural selective estrogen receptor modulator, similar to Evista, which many women take to prevent bone loss. Additionally, phytoestrogens may not have the harmful risks associated with hormones and uterine or breast cancer.

Thursday, April 6, 2006
Why things flash hot in the night
STUART KELLOGG/Staff Writer for the Daily Press covers male and female menopause, osteoporosis, hot flashes and more. Find out why June is c

Do we really need milk in our diet?  Facts, myths, and new questions and answers to the "Got Milk" story.

Popular medications taken to treat osteoporosis and osteopenia have been linked to a newly identified disease of the jaw. Dental surgery and even filling a cavity has led to the disease.

From the Naples News (FL) By Liz Freeman

NAS & EWG Agree: Fluoride Levels Need to be Lowered in Tap Water

The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) concluded that EPA's current limit for how much fluoride can be added to tap water should be lowered because of risks of bone fractures, dental fluorosis and other health effects. A new EWG analysis supports NAS' concerns, showing bottle-fed babies are exposed to higher levels of the chemical than is considered safe. See how many infants are overexposed in a city near you.

To learn how our use of solvents and pesticides banned in many parts of the world is even affecting Greenland polar bears, read POPs in Polar Bears on the Environmental Perspectives website.

A simple way to estimate one's daily intake of dietary calcium is to multiply the number of dairy servings consumed each day by 300 mg. One serving equals 8 oz of milk or yogurt, 1 oz of hard cheese, 16 oz of cottage cheese, or 2 cups of broccoli.