Highlights this issue include:

Medical News...

Can green tea help build strong bones?

Although we are probably more used to good old tea bags in the UK, researchers in Hong Kong have reported new scientific evidence which shows green tea may help to improve bone health.

The researchers found that green tea, a drink which is becoming increasingly popular in the West and the UK, contains a group of chemicals that can stimulate bone formation and help slow its breakdown.

Vitamin D may help prevent falls

Taking vitamin D supplements, at a dose of 700–1,000 international units per day, may make falling 19 per cent less likely for people aged 65 and older, a new research review recently published in the British Medical Journal has claimed.

The review is based on eight studies of people aged sixty-five and older who took vitamin D supplements or placebos. Doses of vitamin D differed among the studies and participants lived in nursing homes or in their own homes.

Real life stories...Nikki Grahame

In most ways Nikki Grahame is like any other 27-year-old in the glare of the public eye. Pretty, bright and bubbly and devoting her time to promoting her autobiography Dying to be Thin, Nikki’s busy life heads along in a whirl of TV show appearances, openings and parties.

But in other ways, life for Nikki is very different, mainly because she’s living with osteoporosis and is constantly aware of the risk of fracturing bones.

“I was at the gym recently and really banged my hip. I was so worried that I’d done some serious damage but thankfully, I was all right,” she says. “It’s such a big worry – if I have any sort of knock or bang, I stop and think, ‘Is that
actually going to be okay?’”

Q&A: Sandra Massey

When did you first find out you had osteoporosis?

Following a scan arranged by my GP through the hospital in 1996. I had broken a hip in November 1995 when I was just 40-years-old. In 1996 I twisted on the ball of my left leg to put my key in the car door. The pain was immense. I couldn’t get up, and the ambulance took me to the local hospital where the next day it was operated on. I had 3 pins inserted. Prior to discharge a nurse advised me to ask my GP for a bone density scan – as I could have osteoporosis. I just thought I would never remember the name of the condition!”

In-depth features:

Vibration therapy

If you’ve looked at an advert for a vibration plate or seen one at your local gym, you could be forgiven for thinking that vibration therapy is a new invention. The truth is, scientists have been looking into the potential benefits of vibration for a long time, with the first machines appearing over 150 years ago.

Today, vibration therapy is used far more widely and has provoked a great deal of interest, especially because of the claims that are made of a possible benefit on bone density. But do these claims have any substance?

Expert answers to your questions:

Helpline Queries:

I am taking alendronic acid and am going abroad on holiday. What would be best to use as a substitute if the tap water is not suitable to drink?

The reason that the manufacturers of alendronic acid and alendronate (Fosamax) state in the Patient Information Leaflet (PIL) that their product must be taken with tap water, is to help increase the treatment’s absorption. If the tablet is taken with a food or drink which contains a large amount of minerals such as calcium or magnesium, the drug could bind with the minerals and be excreted rather than absorbed.

If you are a member and you've had your copy of Osteoporosis News, please reply and let me know what you think of the current issue. I'm always looking for ways to improve the magazine and all feedback is gratefully received.

Thanks

Dom