Health
Pill Seen Battling Osteoporosis
The Pill, in its birth-control role, has its share of critics, but the contraceptive appears to offer a positive benefit in a different area for older women. New research indicates it provides protection from osteoporosis.
American and Swedish researchers writing in The Lancet medical journal say the Pill seems to help promote bone mass -- strengthening the bones and help guard against fractures.
The researchers looked at 4,600 women aged 50 to 81 who had suffered hip fractures and who were fracture-free. The results: women who previously used oral contraceptives had a 25 percent decreased risk -- and 44 percent decrease if a high-dose treatment was used.
Swedish researcher Karl Michaelsson says the effective ingredient in the Pill is estrogen, which is known to help improve bone mass. But exactly how the hormone, which becomes depleted after the menopause, acts on the bone remains unclear, the researchers say.
American and Swedish researchers writing in The Lancet medical journal say the Pill seems to help promote bone mass -- strengthening the bones and help guard against fractures.
The researchers looked at 4,600 women aged 50 to 81 who had suffered hip fractures and who were fracture-free. The results: women who previously used oral contraceptives had a 25 percent decreased risk -- and 44 percent decrease if a high-dose treatment was used.
Swedish researcher Karl Michaelsson says the effective ingredient in the Pill is estrogen, which is known to help improve bone mass. But exactly how the hormone, which becomes depleted after the menopause, acts on the bone remains unclear, the researchers say.
