Recent issues of To Your Health have included several
studies detailing the importance of maintaining strong, healthy
bones as we age. (See "Road to Strong Bones Paved with
Nutrition,"Aug. '99; "Maintain Strong Bones with
Exercise," Sept. '99; and ³Bone Loss Linked to Mental
Decline," Jan. 2000.) We continue this trend in the current
issue by reporting on a study that appeared in the September
18th issue of the Lancet.
The
authors note that bone loss, often related to calcium deficiencies,
is a primary cause of fractures in postmenopausal women and
the elderly, and that problems with the ability to metabolize
calcium has been linked to high blood pressure. They use this
background data to explore the potential relationship between
bone loss and high blood pressure in 3,676 elderly Caucasian
women.
By comparing initial measurements of blood pressure and
bone mineral density (BMD) with BMD measurements taken 3-5
years later, the authors discovered that rates of bone loss
increased with increasing blood pressure. These findings were
maintained even after taking other variables into consideration,
including age, weight, smoking and regular use of hormone
replacement therapy (all of which can influence bone loss).
Ask your chiropractor for more information on keeping your
blood pressure low, your bone density high, and maintaining
your health and wellness for a lifetime!
Reference:
Cappuccio FP, Meilahn E, Zmuda JM, et al. High blood pressure
and bone mineral loss in elderly white women: a prospective
study. The Lancet, Sept. 18, 1999: Vol. 354, pp971-75.
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