VITAMIN D TO TREAT OSTEOPOROSIS.

Report #6355 11/1/94

If they live long enough, all men and most women will develop osteoporosis, a weakening of bones that increases their chances of breaking with the slightest trauma.

A woman's bones are strongest when she is 20 and a man's when he's 30. After that, bones lose calcium and weaken progressively. When they lose so much calcium that they can be broken easily, they are called osteoporotic. If you have osteoporosis, you have several treatment options. The most effective treatment for osteoporosis in older women is estrogen, the female hormone. Combining estrogen with the male hormone, testosterone, may strengthen bones even more. Although lack of calcium can cause osteoporosis, taking extra calcium, by itself, does not treat osteoporosis. Those who have osteoporosis should eat foods rich in calcium or take calcium supplements, but they shoiuld not depend on calcium pills as their only treatment. A synthetic form of vitamin D, called calcitriol, has been shown to help bones pick up calcium. (1) Another hormone called etidronate pills can also help bones to take in extra calcium, but it does this for only the first three years that it is taken. (2) Calcitonin injections three times a week also strengthen bones. To help prevent osteoporosis, avoid smoking and heavy drinking. Exercise regularly, the best exercise is lifting weights. Eat foods rich in calcium such as dairy products, nuts and vegetables. Try not to eat too much protein or drink large amounts of soft drinks as they take calcium out of bones, and when a woman stops menstruating, she should check with her doctor to see if she needs estrogen replacement.

By Gabe Mirkin, M.D., for CBS Radio News