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New therapy better at increasing bone density

by Medindia Content Team on Sep 22 2001 12:49 PM

According to researchers, adding vitamin D to oestrogen and progesterone therapy for older women increases their bone density.It is already well established that hormone replacement therapy - oestrogen plus progesterone helps prevent osteoporosis in women past the menopause. According to researchers at Creighton University in the US, a new study covering 400 women, that this blend of hormones increases bone density in the spine by five per cent and in the hip by 3.9 per cent.

However, if they add an active form of vitamin D (calcitrol) there were further increases in bone density. Moreover, the use of vitamin D significantly reduced the number of falls that elderly women suffered over three years by about 30 percent and also tended to reduce the chance of fractures.

Combination therapy may offer benefits that aren't achieved with single-medication therapy. It may be best for women who still lose bone on a single drug, or who present with multiple fractures.


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