Menopause and Osteoporosis Connection?

The loss of estrogen that occurs in menopause may result in long term, serious health consequences such as osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease. Overall, 28 million women in the United States are affected by osteoporosis, which can lead to significant morbidity and mortality. Heart disease is now recognized as the number one cause of death among women and will develop in one out of every three women. As a result, menopause is the single biggest trigger point for wellness involvement by women over 40 years of age.

The risk of osteoporosis has received increased public and professional attention in recent years. Today, almost 30 million women in the U.S. are affected by osteoporosis or low bone mass. Just as importantly, the number of women entering age groups when osteoporosis occurs is rising twice as fast as the general population. Current statistics from the National Osteoporosis Foundation indicate that 10 million Americans have osteoporosis, and 34 million have low bone mass osteopenia, placing them at risk of osteoporosis. Overall, this is a disease of women: 80 percent of individuals with osteoporosis or osteopenia are women. 1 in 2 women over the age of 50 will experience an osteoporosis-related fracture, as opposed to 1 in 8 men.

Do Calcium and Vitamin D Help Reduce PMS Symptoms?

According to a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine (2005; 165:1246-1252), a diet rich in calcium and vitamin D may help reduce the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) or prevent the condition altogether. PMS is estimated to be found in 8 percent to 20 percent of women. The study was conducted at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Harvard Medical School and other affiliations and part of the large, long-running Nurses Health Study.
The study compared the diets of 1,057 women, ages 27-44 diagnosed with PMS to a similar group of women nurses who did not have PMS. Food frequency questionnaires and other health surveys were analyzed over a 10-year period. Women with intakes corresponding to approximately 1,200 mg of calcium and 400 IU of vitamin D had significantly reduced symptoms of PMS. The authors quote, “Our findings, together with those from several small randomized trials that found calcium supplements to be effective in treating PMS, suggest that a high intake of calcium and vitamin D may reduce the risk of PMS.”

For more information on this topic, click this link
http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/short/165/11/1246