Since this Ezine has a global readership I want to to extend good wishes of Independence Day to our Canadian readers (July 1) and United States readers (July 4) and give special Congratulations to all those celebrating Spain's the recent football(soccer) championship.

This month you will find information about three recent studies: one about drug therapies and two recent studies about nutrition.

Drug therapy and Osteoporosis.

The April issue of CURRENT RHEUMATOLOGY REPORTS notes that when patients keep with their prescribed drugs they have better outcomes and fewer fractures BUT the problem is that patients stop taking their drugs (that is called 'non-compliance) and so they suffer fractures of various kinds. This is not new information but it should serve as a reminder to us all.

If you have been given a prescription and then decide you do not want to take the drug, please talk with your health care provider before you discontinue prescribed medication.

The late Ann Richards, former governor of Texas, was model for us all when she talked about this in her book. She said that when she found taking her prescribed medication just did not fit her daily routine she returned to her doctor and they found a medication that did fit her lifestyle.

I know. Some of you may be thinking that I have said this before. (Note that I am not advocating that you take medication.) What I am saying is that it is important to talk with your health care provider before discontinuing any medication. The ultimate decision WILL BE yours but please talk it over with your health care professional.

Nutritional study #1 : Food or supplements?

Many of us have been trained to think of pills as a necessary part in solving our health problems. So when our health care providers say, "Be sure to get X amount of calcium a day, we immediately think of pills: SUPPLEMENTS. And the supplement industry is glad to offer us supplements of every kind. (Now they even offer pills of easy to eat foods such as garlic, cinnamon and parsley!)

In a recent issue of this Ezine I suggested that you review some of the FOOD SOURCES charts (some are on the web site under the vitamin or mineral} and calculate how much calcium, magnesium, Vitamin K, boron, silica etc. you are ingesting in your weekly diet.

If you are eating the recommended AT LEAST 5 A DAY (fruits and vegetables) you may be obtaining many if of your required minerals through nutrition.

The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published a study of healthy post menopausal white women and bone density which concluded that "Calcium from dietary sources is associated with a shift in estrogen metabolism toward the active 16 alpha-hydroxyl metabolic pathway and with greater BMD (Bone Mineral Density ) and thus may produce more favorable effects in bone health in post menopausal women than will calcium from supplements."

Hmmm. Now it is only one study and it was published in a journal of clinical nutrition but you may want to think about it.

Nutritional study #2 - Form of Calcium

Our second study is about CCM,that is, Calcium Citrate malate. (This is the form found in most calcium fortified juice products.)

The Journal of Advanced Food Nutrition Research published a review study about the health benefits of calcium citrate malate. The study was done at Purdue University in the USA and the researchers reviewed other scientific studies that have been done on this particular form of calcium.

They concluded: (Note - I have spaced the information so as to make it more readable in an email)

"CCM has been shown to facilitate calcium retention and bone accrual in children and adolescents. In adults, it effectively promotes the consolidation and maintenance of bone mass.

In conjunction with vitamin D, CCM also decreases bone fracture risk in the elderly, slows the rate of bone loss in old age, and is of benefit to the health and well-being of post menopausal women.

CCM is exceptional in that it confers many unique benefits that go beyond bone health. Unlike other calcium sources that necessitate supplementation be in conjunction with a meal to ensure an appreciable benefit is derived, CCM can be consumed with or without food and delivers a significant nutritional benefit to individuals of all ages.

The chemistry of CCM makes it a particularly beneficial calcium source for individuals with hypochlorydia or achlorydia, which generally includes the elderly and those on medications that decrease gastric acid secretion.

CCM is also recognized as a calcium source that does not increase the risk of kidney stones, and in fact it protects against stone-forming potential.

The versatile nature of CCM makes it a convenient and practical calcium salt for use in moist foods and beverages. The major factor that may preclude selection of CCM as a preferred calcium source is the higher cost compared to other sources of calcium commonly used for fortification (e.g., calcium carbonate and tricalcium phosphate).

However, formation of CCM directly within beverages or other fluid foods and/or preparations, and the addition of a concentrated CCM solution or slurry, are relatively cost-effective methods by which CCM can be incorporated into finished food and beverage products."

- End of Study -

CCM fortified food (read the label) may win up costing you less in the end than supplements - if you can find it in prepared food or beverages (often juices in the dairy case). Do note, however, that the researchers state that Vitamin D IS needed.

Final note. It is July. Put on some music and dance. Yes. Dance in the kitchen every night this month! You'll go to bed more relaxed and your osteoblasts will be stimulated to build bone.

Stamp your feet, tap your toes... Bone building can be fun!

Kate - who will turn 73 this month. Yes! Elderhood is wonderful!