Category Archives: Research

The Link Between Wrinkles and Bone Density

Is it possible that deep brow furrows are an early indicator of osteoporosis later in life? The findings of a recent study suggests that the more wrinkles a woman has in her early menopause years, the lower her bone density, putting her at risk for bone fractures. The association may seem like a stretch at first. But Dr. Lubna Pal, an endocrinologist who led the research at Yale’s School of Medicine, explained:

(Bones and skin) share common building blocks — a group of proteins called collagens. As we age, changes in collagen occur that may account for age-related skin changes… and also contribute to deterioration in bone quality and quantity.

In this study of 114 women in their late 40s and early 50s, none of whom were on HRT, skin wrinkles at 11 sites on the face and neck were measured and participants underwent DEXA scans. The researchers found that women with the worst wrinkles had the lowest bone density scores. Conversely, those with firm skin and the fewest wrinkles, particularly in the forehead area, had greater bone density.

If this research is further substantiated, and skin does in fact provide a glimpse into the status of the skeleton, it may be possible to determine our bone strength by simply looking in the mirror.

A New Study Suggests Annual Mammograms Are Unnecessary for Most Women

The debate over when and how often to get screened for breast cancer surfaced again this week following the release of a study by researchers at the University of California San Francisco that concluded that annual mammograms aren’t necessary for most women.  The timing of these latest findings, during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, when screening for early detection is being promoted, left a lot of women confused and angry. We reacted the same way in 2009, when federal guidelines recommended mammograms every two years starting at the age 50.

What makes annual screening such a hot button is the prevalence of false positives in mammography.  Besides causing a lot of fear and anxiety, these can led to more harmful and expensive interventions than required, according to those who favor less frequent screenings.  As explained in a UCSF statement released this week, ”more than half of cancer-free women will be among those summoned back for more testing because of false-positive results and about one in 12 will be referred for a biopsy.”

The study also looked at nearly 4500 women who had been diagnosed with invasive breast cancer and found that roughly a quarter of all breast cancers detected by mammograms were late-stage whether women were screened every year or every other year.

Once we set aside the emotion (as in “I don’t care what these studies show, I’m going to have my annual screening!) consider what Dr. Susan Kutner, Chair of the Kaiser Permanente Northern California’s Breast Care Task Force had to say about this latest study on a local San Francisco Public Radio Program . … [Read more]

Flax Seed: If You Think It Will Help with Hot Flashes, It Just Might

Hot flashes and night sweats are the number one complaint of menopausal women.  For most women they last four to six years. For others, they can persist well into their 70s. That’s why, if there’s a glimmer of hope that something – anything – can help reduce their frequency, it’s worth a try.  Flaxseed falls into that category.  Some women find that adding a couple of tablespoons to their cereal every day helps cool them off.  Is it the estrogenic effect of the plant’s phytoestrogens that’s helping? Or is it just wishful thinking? And, as long as it helps, does it really matter? Consider these latest research findings:

Researchers at the Mayo Clinic randomly assigned 188 women to eat either a daily flaxseed bar containing 410 milligrams of lignans or one that was flax-free. Many of the study participants experienced hot flashes at least four times a day. Over six weeks, more than one third of the women in both groups had a 50 percent reduction in the frequency and severity of their hot flashes and they said that their symptoms were moderately to “very much” improved. … [Read more]

The Latest Bad Rap on Supplements: What Does This Week’s Study Mean to Women?

Yesterday, I set out to write about the latest findings of a government-funded research study that concluded that in older women, several commonly used dietary vitamin and mineral supplements may do more harm than good; even, in some cases, causing a small increase in the risk of death.

Death?  Really?  From Vitamin B6 and multivitamins?

There must be more to this than was being reported, so I decided to go to the source, The Archives of Internal Medicine, where the findings were published,  and read the study myself.   Here’s what I learned.

First: The Facts

Researchers assessed the use of 15 vitamin and mineral supplements (including multivitamins, Vitamins B6, C and D, folic acid, magnesium, Iron and Calcium) in relation to total mortality in nearly 39,000 women in the Iowa Women’s Health Study. The participants were just under 62 years of age when they began the study in 1986.  Supplement use, which was self-reported via a health questionnaire three times over 19 years, was widespread among these women and increased over the years.

In yesterday’s news reports about this study, we learned that the researchers found a small increase in the risk of death among older women who took dietary supplements compared with those who didn’t.  However, what wasn’t reported in many news … [Read more]

An Important Research Study on Vitamin D and Fish Oil That You Can Participate In

A new research study is about to get underway that will investigate whether taking daily supplements of Vitamin D and fish oil reduces the risk for developing cancer, heart disease and stroke.  The study’s co-director, Dr. JoAnn Manson of Harvard Medical School, told me during the recent conference of the North American Menopause Society, that their goal is to enroll 20,000 … [Read more]

Will a Cup of Joe Stave Off Depression?

Drinking coffee not only helps you start your day, it just might make you feel better too, according to a recent study that found that depression risk decreases with increasing caffeinated coffee consumption. How much did it take to see a difference?  The women who consumed as much as 4 cups a day saw the greatest results — a risk reduction of 20 percent.

As noted in the study’s commentary, the effects of caffeine – both good and bad – has been explored in previous studies relating to cardiovascular disease, inflammation and certain types of cancers.   This is the first large-scale study of coffee consumption to evaluate a mental health outcome in women, who are particularly vulnerable to depression during periods of hormone changes such as peri- and post-menopause.  And while the results are promising, the researchers cautioned that more research is needed to confirm this finding and to determine whether usual caffeinated coffee consumption can contribute to depression prevention. … [Read more]

These Foods & Beverages Will Pack On The Pounds Over Time

Managing your weight requires constant vigilance.   The average person gains one pound a year, which is hardly noticeable from one year to the next.  But if you let it go, those pounds add up slowly and before you know it, you’re 10-20 pounds over your ideal weight.  Current dietary guidlines urge people to “eat less and exercise more” to lose extra pounds, which sounds sensible. But recently, a team of researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health, investigating ways to curb the obesity epidemic in this country, took a closer look at this diet mantra to see if this conventional wisdom is really good advice for preventing long-term weight gain.  What they concluded was that “eat less of this and more of that” would be more like it.

… [Read more]

Anti-Depressants Can Ease Hot Flashes In Some Women

Women who experience frequent and severe hot flashes and are not good candidates for hormonal therapy may find relief  from an anti-depressant like Lexapro, according to a clinical trial whose findings were published earlier this year in JAMA and summarized for physicians in a video presentation that was posted this week on the Medscape website

The study – a randomized, placebo-controlled trial involved 205 women over … [Read more]

New Research Shows That Soy Doesn’t Prevent Bone Loss Or Help With Menopause Symptoms

Women who consume soy supplements thinking…hoping… that they will help reduce or eliminate menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes and insomnia will be very disappointed at the findings of a clinical trial published today in the Archives of Internal Medicine.  The study targeted women ages 45-60 years who had been menopausal for one to five years. Researchers at the University of Miami wanted  to determine whether daily intake of soy isoflavones (plant compounds that mimic estrogen in the body) in tablet form prevents the rapid bone loss associated with the initial menopausal years. … [Read more]

Stock Up On Fans – Hot Flashes Can Last More Than A Decade for Some Women

Nearly two years ago, I wrote about a study that looked into the duration of vasomotor symptoms (hot flashes) in menopausal women. After tracking more than 400 Australian women, ages 45-55, researchers at the Melbourne Women’s Midlife Health Project reported that hot flashes averaged nearly six years in hormone users and just over five years for nonusers.  That was pretty discouraging news. But those statistics are looking pretty good compared to a new study  that paints a significantly worse scenario for some women.  The Penn Ovarian Aging Study followed 259 women for 13 years as they progressed through menopause (from pre to post) and this was what they found: … [Read more]