A is for adiposity, F is for falls, M is for muscle weakness. Together, they spell “D”
Wonder what I’m talking about yet? A newly published study in the advanced online edition of the journal menopause suggests that Vitamin D is a critical element for maintaining physical fitness during the postmenopause years.
In this study, researchers evaluated the following factors in 242 postmenopausal women that could account for overall physical fitness:
- age
- years since menopause
- weight
- blood levels of vitamin D
- daily energy expenditure
- calcium intake
- overall body composition
- waist and hip fat
The findings? Although there were many factors contributing to overall physical fitness, vitamin D was a common variable, contributing to fat mass, lean mass, balance, and handgrip strength. Hence, obtaining and maintaining adequate vitamin D appears to be important to staying lean, decreasing the risk of falls due to balance and maintaining muscle strength.
The Institute of Medicine currently recommends that women under the age of 50 obtain at least 200 IUs Vitamin D daily, and women over the age of 50, at least 400 IUs. Although a consensus has yet to be reached, many experts say that the majority of people can obtain adequate levels of vitamin D through about 5-30 minutes of sun exposure between 10 AM and 3 PM at least twice a week to the face, arms, legs, or back — preferably without sunscreen. Of course, this goes against common sense and skin cancer warnings and people who are especially prone to or have a skin cancer risk might want to consider obtaining their Vitamin D through daily supplements.
Regardless, it’s interesting to learn that researchers have unveiled yet another essential role for Vitamin D in our lives. Fitness is important to many aspects of aging — not just to maintain physical health — but also to promote healthier emotional well-being.
Be sure that you are paying attention to D. When it comes to postmenopause, D is for definite.
Read MoreTalking the talk: hormone therapy
Is your healthcare provider more or less likely to suggest hormone therapy (HT, estrogen only) when you see them for menopausal symptoms? What’s more, how do you know?
Results of a study in the Ahead of Print edition of the journal Menopause suggest that certain factors do influence prescriber habits.
Researchers measured how often 249 primary care (i.e. internists and family practitioners) and ob/gyns prescribed HT to their patients (ages 45 to 80) in a given year based on electronic pharmacy data. In addition to examining information on the providers themselves, data on perceptions of patients’ views on the Women’s Health Initiative trial results (WHI, which examined the link between HRT and heart disease), provider views on the WHI study and how prepared they felt to counsel patients were also analyzed. 57% of the providers in the study were women.
The findings? How often HT was prescribed appeared to vary by geographical location and the number of years a provider had been at a specific organization (which may reflect the age of the provider). More than half of those surveyed believed that they had expert knowledge about data coming out of recent HT trials.
In fact, primary care providers who felt that they had this degree of knowledge were significantly more likelier than their colleagues who did not to recommend hormone therapy. In contrast, ob/gyns who were more likely to prescibe HT were those who believed that they well prepared to counsel their female patients on hormone therapy. These practitioners also tended to believe that the results of the trials had been exaggerated.
Regardless of specialty, younger patients and patients who did not have other diseases that may exacerbate risk were most often prescribed HT.
So, what do these study results mean exactly?
The researchers write that HT prescribing may be “driven by factors outside of evidence-based medicine,” such as prescriber self-perception and age. If this is true, then the lack of provider bias could potentially influence prescribing habits and in turn, exposure to HT.
As the researchers say, “women, who when inquiring about HT risk and benefits, deserve unbiased and well informed counseling to make informed decisions.” And that it “is likely that some doctors need additional training to ensure this level of advice.”
For you, this means to be sure to be prepared when you make that first appointment to discuss therapeutic options for troublesome menopausal symptoms. Do the homework before you enter your provider’s office so that you are ready to ask the right questions.
In addition to the link provided above, which discusses the WHI data in detail, I encourage you to visit the following sites for unbiased information about menopause and its treatment:
The bottom line is that if your provider is talking the talk, be sure that you know why you’re going to walk the walk.
Read MoreWednesday Bubble: What about us?
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I attended the Fem 2.0 conference in Washington, DC this past Monday. It was inspiring to see women, young and old, coming together to discuss issues and solutions to the many problems facing women today. However, as much as there was unity, I also observed a troublesome divide, one that struck me as naiive and counterproductive to our overall goals. So I would like to both commend the organizers (and attendees) of this conference but also point out that
Healthcare for women is not only about reproductive rights and family planning.
What’s more, healthcare reform, should it occur, is not only about reproductive rights and family planning.
By focusing on these issues at the detriment of others, we disenfranchise a large majority of women who face challenges that have nothing to do with either of these issues, women like us, for example.
So I would like to pose this question:
What. About. Us?
If we are to indeed make progress and move women into the 21st Century in an equal and empowering way, we need to include all women, of all ages in our efforts. Reproductive issues extend well beyond bearing children and as many of us who are in midlife are well aware, include post-reproductive changes that can pull the rug right out from under you. In fact, health issues that challenge women change with every decade. And focusing only on the here and now is short-sighted in so many ways.
Time to expand the horizon and look beyond your nose.
Let’s try to be uniters rather than dividers. Let’s try to pay attention to the whole and not to the parts. Let’s embrace change rather than hide it under the carpet. Let’s be all inclusive and not exclusive because we simply don’t understand the changes that await us.
What about us? What about them? What about you?
Read MoreA new equation for midlife: calcium+vitamin D+physical activity+better eating =
Weight gain. Data abound that show that women between the ages of 50 and 79 experience age-related changes in body composition, metabolism, and hormones, often accompanied by a decline in physical activity. This leads to a propensity for fat and weight gain.
Okay, so that’s the not-so-good news.
The good news is that daily calcium (1000 mg) plus 400 IU of vitamin D may have a small effect on the risk of weight gain. Even better, coupled with other dietary and lifestyle changes (nutrition counseling, physical activity), weight gain may be a thing of the past, or at least, something that is a lot more controllable than we think!
In one study, 36,282 women who were already participating in the Women’s Health Initiative trial and undergoing dietary modification or hormone replacement therapy were assigned to 1000 mg calcium plus 400 IU vitamin D or placebo daily. Weight and height were measured annually for seven years.
Study results, which were published in the May 2007 edition of Archives of Internal Medicine, suggest that women taking daily calcium plus vitamin D supplementation were 11% less likely to experience modest weight gain (2 to 6 pounds) and also 11% less likely to gain more than 6 pounds. Interestingly, a reduced risk was seen in women who were ingesting less than 1,200 mg calcium daily, which is the recommended daily amount (RDA) by the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Notably, the researchers do caution that the findings do not alter the RDA and that women should still aim for the 1,200 mg daily RDA of calcium.
In a second, more recent study published in the online edition of Maturitas, 101 postmenopausal women were assigned to dietary intervention (1200 mg calcium plus .75 mc vitamin D plus fortified dairy products daily), 1200 calcium daily or placebo. Women in the dietary intervention also attended biweekly dietary and lifestyle intervention sessions.
Similar to results of the first study, women receiving dietary interventions had significantly lower increases in skin thickness measures and experience declines in fat mass compared to the other two groups.
In concert, these results suggest that daily intake of calcium plus vitamin D, coupled with dietary restrictions and physical activity, may help to stave off the extra pounds in midlife. As with any regimen, it is essential to discuss a new regimen with your healthcare practitioner before taking the leap.
I’ve written previously about the value of calcium, dietary restrictions and physical activity to overall health, preventing osteoporosis and heart disease, and lowering the risk of weight gain. The addition of vitamin D appears to make the equation even more effective.
Although there have been many articles written of late that tout the benefits of vitamin D, like anything, it’s not the panacea for all that ails. Good health starts with thoughtful, well-informed choices. But it’s inspiring to know that there are positive steps you can take to feel good and look even better!
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