One health concern for women after menopause and their doctors, is bone loss. Without the hormones women have during their reproductive years, the bones can become thin and easily broken. Investigators at Isfahan University of Medical Sciences in Iran looked at the bones of women after menopause, women with and without diabetes, to determine whether having diabetes could also affect bone loss.
Their study, reported on in the Journal of Research in Medical Science in November 2012, included 200 diabetic and 400 non-diabetic women over 60 years of age. It was found the diabetic women had thinner leg and spinal bones than non-diabetic women. Among the diabetic participants, there was more bone loss in women with HbA1c scores of 7 or greater than in those with scores under 7.
These results therefore revealed osteoporosis, or bone loss, was more common in the diabetic women than in non-diabetic participants.
According to the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, United States, between 2005 and 2008...
- 10% of adults over 50 in the USA had low bone mass in their spines only.
- 22% had low bone mass in their thigh bones only, and
- 17% had low bone mass in both their spine and thigh bones.
Among adults in their 60s...
- 65% had low bone mass, and
- 10% had sufficient bone loss to be diagnosed with osteoporosis.
The percent of patients with dangerously high amounts of bone loss continues to climb with age.
Information gathered by the International Osteoporosis Society shows that osteoporosis causes 8.9 million fractures per year worldwide. Worldwide, 1 in 3 women,and 1 in 5 men will have fractures related to osteoporosis. Hip fractures cause pain and reduced mobility, and can lead to nursing home admission and even death.
According to the Iranian study, preventing and controlling diabetes is likely one good way of preventing bone loss and fractures.
- adhering to a healthful, low-fat, vegan, high nutritive diet,
- getting plenty of exercise, and
- prescribed medications
are all ways of keeping HbA1c levels below 7%.
Exercise is not only good for keeping down blood sugar levels, but it is good for the bones directly. Walking, swimming, and lifting weights with your doctor's advice help your bones to take on calcium.
You can take in enough calcium by eating plenty of dark green leafy vegetables and taking mineral supplements if your doctor advises them. Dairy products are often recommended for their calcium content, but their high protein content interferes with the absorption of calcium. Vitamin D is important for calcium absorption from the intestines. Mushrooms that have been exposed to the sun contain vitamin D. Exposing your own skin to the sun or taking supplements are other ways of getting enough vitamin D.
Type 2 diabetes is not a condition you must just live with. By making easy changes to your daily routine, its possible to protect your heart, kidneys, eyes and limbs from the damage often caused by diabetes, and eliminate some of the complications you may already experience. Vitamin D is helpful both for your bones and your diabetes.
For nearly 25 years Beverleigh Piepers has searched for and found a number of secrets to help you build a healthy body. Go to http://DrugFreeType2Diabetes.com to learn about some of those secrets.
The answer isn't in the endless volumes of available information but in yourself.
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