Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

The Women's Health Initiative, a scrupulous research project w/ over 36,000
women, announced on Thursday that calcium and Vit D have no beneficial
effect in preventing fractures from osteoporosis. The study is published in
the New England Journal of Medicine. An excerpt from the NY Times 2/16 says:

"A large, seven-year study of healthy women over 50 found no broad benefit
from calcium and vitamin D supplements in preventing broken bones, despite
widespread endorsement by doctors for the supplements."

There was a small and possibly spurious subgroup of the study population who
seemed to ahve fewer hip fractures.

I recommend:
- Regular exercise, especially exercise that stresses the long bones. Bone
stress sets up a piezoelectric effect (pressure-->electric current) that
mineralizes bone--like that crystal stuff that builds up on your battery
posts. So mucking out stalls, slinging saddles, lifting bales of hay and 50#
bags of grain, running for R&T, posting trot--all help strengthen bone.
    Any form of exercise keeps one in positive calcium balance. For reasons
that aren't well understood, sitting around immobile puts one in negative
Ca++ balance that leaches out bone. This is an effect of the kidneys
excreting too much Ca++.
- Balanced diet w/ calcium sources of theoretically high bio-availability.
The WHI study looked at pills. It's possible that sources such as (someone
rightly suggested) leafy green vegetables, dairy, and tofu have a beneficial
effect. I believe, and there is research that bears out, that food sources
of nutrients are more bio-available than pills/manufactured sources.
- Keep some body fat. Don't be in a rush to be fashion model thin. After
menopause, virtually the only source of bone-saving estrogen is in adipose
tissue. Especially now that HRT (hormone replacement therapy) has also
fallen out of favor, we are left with what nature gave us. (Very karmic for
the producers of Premarin and their cruelty to the PMU mares and foals.)
- Don't smoke! Smoking leaches out bone. It also reduces body fat.

Beverley



=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net.
Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp
Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp

Ride Long and Ride Safe!!

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=