Wednesday Bubble: Just say “no”
Gonna burst that hormone bubble at least one more time. Seems that the synthetic hormone Livial, which is billed as an alternative to HRT, significantly increases the risk of breast cancer recurrence. Ouch!
Livial is a selective tissue estrogenic regulator (SERM), which mimics estrogen’s activity with regards to strengthening bones. The agent has mostly been marketed in Europe for treatment of hot flashes, night sweats and bone loss, as well as a treatment for osteoporosis.
In a study reported in the current issue of The Lancet Oncology, researchers evaluated the effectiveness of 2.5 mg/day of Livial compared to placebo in more than 3,000 women with a history of breast cancer. Although the agent had a positive effect symptoms and bone density, the trial was stopped six months early because women taking Livial had a 40% increased risk of having their breast cancer return.
The researchers state that the likely reason for this increase is that Livial interferes with the protective effect of different cancer drugs and might stimulate dormant tumors to become active again.
Clearly, Livial should not be used in women with a history of breast cancer. Then again, with data definitively showing an increased risk of cancer and heart disease with use of hormone therapy, why take a chance to begin with?
What are your thoughts? Is estrogen worth the risk for a few less symptoms? Or are you better off taking an alternative route?
Read MoreSomething’s fishy
A small study in the online edition of the journal Menopause suggests that a supplement containing omega-3 fatty acids may help reduce hot flashes in menopausal women.
Canadian researchers evaluated the influence of omega-3 supplementation in 120 women (between the ages of 40 and 55) experiencing hot flashes who took either a real pill containing oeicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) or dummy pill for 8 weeks. At the start, study participants had an average of 2.8 hot flashes daily.
At the study’s end, women taking omega-3 fatty acids had 1.5 times fewer hot flashes daily compared to women taking dummy pills, whose hot flash frequency decline by 50%. Hot flash severity, however, remained similar between the groups and the use of omega-3s did not impact mood or other quality of life factors.
Although the researchers caution that more study is needed, it’s important to note that earlier data do suggest that omega-3s may be useful in reducing hot flashes. Regardless, the benefits of incorporating omega-3s in midlife, which include potential protection against heart disease and osteroporosis, should not be overlooked.
Read MoreBad to da bones
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Many of us have reached for that third, sometimes fourth glass of wine when out with friends. An occasional trangression never hurts, right? But for years now, researchers have been warning us to skip those last two glasses. Besides the usual suspects, like breast cancer or stroke, binge drinking (4 or more drinks in a 2 hour period for women, 5 or more for men) can also reduce bone mass and bone strength and consequently, increase the risk for osteoporosis.
Now, for the first time, researchers have identified why binge drinking is bad for da bones – it’s all about genes!
What they found that rats given amounts of alcohol equivalent to binge drinking showed altered expression of two molecular pathways directly responsible for for normal bone metabolism and bone mass. These effects remained even after factors such as body weight or bone mass density were accounted for.
The researchers also found that an anti-bone resorptive agent known as ibandronate was able to correct changes in gene expression., which suggests that alcohol-related bone loss may be correctable. The study was published in the July issue of Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.
So, why should you care?
As I’ve written before, women undergoing menopause are already at risk for bone loss and osteoporosis. Binge habits may simply exacerbate this process, leading to an even greater risk.
My grandmother always said “everything in moderation.” She lived to be 90 and was still moving furniture around her apartment in her mid-80s. That lady was bad to the bone, for sure!
Read MoreBones Bones Bones…Again!
Something is in the air. Is it the moon moving into Virgo? The end of August, when fruit is ripe and bursting on the vine? What IS IT about late summer that makes me want to hold onto the old and challenge the new?
I’ve uncovered more news about bone loss as it relates to menopause. Early data suggest that fruit, namely Korean raspberries (better known as Rubus coreanus) may hold an important key to preventing bone loss.
Results of a study in rats that appears in the Menopause journal suggests that Rubus coreanus extract prevented bone loss caused by estrogen deficiency by enhancing the function of cells the form bone (osteoclasts) and promoting the death of cells (osteoclasts) that cause bone to break down.
The researchers caution that more study is needed but point to the mineral compositon of Rubus coreanus, which contains potassium, magnesium, and vitamins D and B2. They also suggest that Rubus coreanus extract improves bone density through an antioxidant effect.
Read MoreA Balancing Act
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One of the biggest challenges of life is to keep it all in balance, right? This is ever more important as we age and our bones start to thin. Postmenopausal women are three times likelier to fall than men who are the same age. This is due, at least in part, to declining estrogen levels, which not only affect postural stability but also the speed at which spacial information is processed by the brain.
Researchers now say that moderate amounts of exercise may significantly improve balance in postmenopausal women who suffer from osteoporosis.
In this study, 28 postmenopausal women participated in twice-weekly, 30 minute sessions on the treadmills over a month-long period. At the study’s end, significant improvements were seen in all balance tests.
The researchers say that this suggests that exercise is valuable in younger postmenopausal women for reducing fracture risk, risk of falls and reaction time. Walking at a fast pace is one of the safest ways to achieve results.
Check out these earlier posts for additional tips on how to achieve better bone health. I don’t believe that any of us will end up on a double high wire after an intensive treadmill workout but I do believe that we can all benefit from improved balance!
Read MoreCa
No bones about it ladies. As you enter the early stages of menopause, your bones lose their ability to retain their mass and manufacture new bone tissue, resulting in bone loss and increasing the risk for osteoporosis. In addition to exercise and eating calcium-rich foods, experts recommend calcium supplements to make up for what you might be lacking.
According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, adults ages 50 and over need about 1200 mg daily, while adults up to age 50 need about 1,000 mg daily. Calcium supplements have been shown to slow bone loss in postmenopausal women but for in some, may also cause bloating and constipation.
Fortunately, new research published in the early online edition of the journal Calcified Tissue International shows that supplements containing 500 mg calcium citrate are absorbed more efficiently than those containing 1000 mg calcium carbonate. What’s more, the lower dose of calcium citrate also causes fewer side effects.
The bottom line is less may be more, except for when it comes to side effects.
For those of you who don’t know the difference between the two forms of calcium, calcium citrate is derived from the citric acid while calcium carbonate comes from the shells of marine organisms, snails and eggs.
Finally, it’s Wednesday! For whatever reason, the calcium symbol reminds me of the following scene from Singing in the Rain. Enjoy!
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