StrongWomen Newsletter
Issue 90, March 2006
I hope you find this newsletter helpful, and that you share it with your friends. Feel free to forward, post or reprint it – but please credit strongwomen.com for the information and don’t change the content.
By Miriam E. Nelson, PhD
Author of :
Strong Women Stay Young
Strong Women Stay Slim
Strong Women, Strong Bones
Strong Women Eat Well
Strong Women and Men Beat Arthritis
The Strong Women’s Journal
Strong Women, Strong Hearts
Founder of strongwomen.com
IN THIS MONTH'S ISSUE
WOMEN’S HEALTH INITIATIVE CALCIUM SUPPLEMENT TRIAL RESULTS
The Women’s Health Initiative, sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, just released the results of the calcium and vitamin D supplementation study. This was a very large study that followed 36,282 women for up to nine years.
The objective of this ambitious study was to determine if calcium and vitamin D supplementation in postmenopausal women would reduce hip and other fractures. The women were between the ages of 50 and 79 and they were randomized to receive either a daily supplement (1000 mg supplement of calcium carbonate with 400 IU of vitamin D) or a placebo. The women were followed through annual check-ups and occasional telephone calls to make sure they were healthy (no fractures) and to find out if they were taking their supplements.
The results of the trial are complex. Overall, there was no effect of the supplementation in reducing fractures in these women. However, if you dig just a little deeper, you see several important findings: First, the women who actually took their supplements had a 29% reduction in hip fracture compared to women in the control group. This is a remarkable reduction! Second, women over the age of 60 had the greatest benefit from the supplementation. Third, women who were on hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and took supplements experienced fewer fractures than women who were on HRT and did not take calcium and vitamin D. Taking the supplements was not without risk - women who took them had a 17% increased risk of experiencing kidney stones. Several questions remain. Would the results have been any stronger if the women had taken calcium citrate instead of calcium carbonate? Would the results have been stronger if there was more vitamin D in the supplement? And finally, the baseline intake of calcium was just over 1,000 mg per day – most likely the results would have been more positive if the women had lower baseline intakes.
What is the overriding message from this trial? Meeting the recommended dietary allowance for calcium (1,000 to 1,200 mg/day) and vitamin D (400 to 600 IU/day) can help to reduce the risk of hip fractures. If you are compliant with your supplement you will gain greater benefit. Don’t forget, nutrition is just one piece of the puzzle: Combining supplementation with exercise, medication management (when necessary), and other lifestyle measures is critical in maintaining bone health.
Lifting women to better health,
Miriam E. Nelson, Ph.D.
Reference: Jackson, R. D., LaCroix, A. Z., Gass, M., Wallace, R. B., and colleagues (2006). “Calcium plus Vitamin D Supplementation and Risk of Fractures.” New England Journal of Medicine 354(7):669-683.
STRONGWOMEN MOUNTAIN GETAWAY IN PERU AND FRANCE
Yes you read that correctly! I am organizing two trips this summer with renowned mountain guide, Isabelle Santoire from France. The purpose of these trips is to get women into the big mountains in a safe and enjoyable way. Isabelle and I want everyone to be inspired and rejuvenated by the climbs. Being in the high mountains is very spiritual and life transforming. We won’t climb fast. What we will do is enjoy the mountains and ourselves.
Space is very limited, excellent fitness level is required.
Please go to: www.StrongWomen.com/event
Mont Blanc, France -- Dates: July 5 through 12
Cusco, Peru -- Dates: July 16 through 28
UPCOMING TALKS
Milwaukee
Conference: Covenant Healthcare Women's Well-Being Daylong Conference: Heart-to-Heart Conversations about Women & Cardiac Care
Title of Talk: Strong Women, Strong Hearts
Date: Saturday, March 11, 2006
Location: Italian Conference Center, 631 E. Chicago St., Milwaukee
To register: (414) 447-2846 or at http://www.covhealth.org
New York City
Please join me and other LLuminari Health experts at the Health
Magazine “Me Time” event in New York City. This will be an
intimate evening, celebrating the importance of taking time – just for you!
When: Thursday, March 30, 6:30 p.m.
Where: One Time Warner Center
Time Warner Screening Room, 10th Fl
(West 58th St. between 8th and 9th Ave.)
To register: go to http://www.health.com/metime
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Be sure to check out the other questions posed to Miriam Nelson, PhD and Rebecca Seguin, MS, CSCS at: http://www.StrongWomen.com/faqs/index.htm
Q: I recently joined a gym and have followed Dr. Nelson’s advice NOT to go on back extension or abs crunch machines since I have osteoporosis. However, I have a concern about the leg extension machine -- is this considered a flexion machine -- is it advisable for people with osteoporosis or not?
A: The leg press is not considered a flexion machine, but it can put some stress on the spine, so you need to be cautious about the weight you lift if you have osteoporosis at the spine. Please seek your physician's approval before adding this exercise, and be sure to maintain excellent form and progress slowly.
Q: I've read that the abdominal muscles should be exercised daily, rather than two or three times a week. Is this true, and if so, why?
A: Some people may work out abs daily, but this is really not essential. Every other day, or 2-3 days per week is fine. If you decide to do them daily, just be sure to vary the exercises and intensity, so that you're not overstressing the muscles.
FROM THE MAILBOX: SUCCESS STORIES FROM INSPIRING WOMEN
Greetings from Sydney Australia! I would just like to thank you for all your newsletters and books, which I have read and find inspirational. I pass them on to others to read if they have a particular problem.
-Marilyn
I've read Strong Women Strong Bones and have implemented a lot of the diet and exercises in the book. It has been a great help to me! Thank you.
-Suzzanne
RECIPE OF THE MONTH
Wheatberries with Fruit
and Honey-Orange Dressing |
I know that I have used this recipe before, but it really is one of my favorites and perfect for this time of year! It comes from my book, Strong Women Eat Well written with Judy Knipe. This recipe is easy to make and my children and husband love it. Wheatberries are a whole grain that can easily be purchased at most natural foods stores. I like this dressing best made with soft wheatberries, which cook up to a beautiful pale color and a tender but crunchy texture. The dish is delicious served by itself as an accompaniment to meats, fish and poultry. I also love it for breakfast topped with some yogurt. You can also use it as a stuffing for a small turkey or Cornish game hen. Makes 3 1/2 to 4 cups.
Other StrongWomen deliciously nutritious recipes. |
Ingredients
1 cup summer (soft) white wheatberries
1 orange
1/2 cup dried cranberries, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup dried (unsulfured) apricots, cut into thin slivers
6 tablespoons pine nuts
4 teaspoons honey
salt to taste
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There are two ways to prepare wheatberries. Soak the wheatberries overnight in water (covering by an inch) or you can place them in a heavy medium size saucepan, add water to cover by at least an inch, and bring to a boil. Cover the pan, turn off the heat, and let the berries sit for two hours. Once the wheatberries are soaked, drain the berries, return to the pan, and again cover with at least an inch of fresh water. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer the berries covered for about 30 minutes, or until the grain is cooked but still crunchy. Add salt to taste 10 minutes before the grain is done. Drain the wheatberries and transfer to a bowl. You will have a generous 2 1/2 cups.
Remove the zest from the orange in long strips, using a vegetable peeler. Cut 8 or 9 strips of it into very thin slivers, then cut the slivers into tiny dice. Add to the wheatberries with the cranberries, apricots, and pine nuts. Squeeze the 4 tbsp of juice from the orange into a small bowl and whisk with the honey and add to the pilaf. Mix well and taste for salt, which, added in very small amounts, brings out the flavor of the fruit.
Serve warm, at room temperature, or cold. |
| Nutritional information (per serving) |
Serves 4
Nutrition information per 1/2 cup: 182 calories, 3.7 g protein, 4.2 g fat (0.5 g saturated fat), 34 g carbohydrate, 5 g fiber, Portions: 2 Grains, 1/2 Protein
Portions:
2 Vegetable, 1.5 Extra |
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