Calculate your risk of hip fracture

I just found a very cool new online tool to calculate your risk of hip fracture after age 50 at http://hipcalculator.fhcrc.org/

Researchers used data from 94,000 Women's Health Initiative participants to develop an algorithm to calculate risk of hip fracture in the next 5 years. Activity level, smoking status, weight, use of some specific medications, and family history of fracture after age 54 are factored into the equation.

Since over 300,000 people in the US suffer a hip fracture each year, and fracturing a hip is also associated with increased risk of death and future health decline, identifying people at risk for hip fracture is crucial.

Steps you can take right now to reduce your risk of hip fracture and subsequent health problems:
- increase your daily activity so that you walk for an hour at least 4 times per week
- stop smoking
- get 1200-1500 mg of calcium each day primarily from food, but making up the difference in supplements (each cup of skim milk has approximately 300 mg of calcium)
- take the fracture probability quiz, and talk with your physician about the results

Thanks to healthy parents, a lifetime of drinking milk, and consistent physical activity starting as a child and continuing to today, my risk is <.5%. Be sure and calculate yours.

Eat your calcium!

Boy, am I glad I grew up in a home where milk was our beverage of choice with meals!

A new study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that women who get the majority of their calcium intake from dairy products - plus taking supplements - have higher bone mineral density. Higher bone mineral density equals stronger bones, and decreased risk of osteoporosis. The researchers looked at the diets of 183 postmenopausal women for one week, adding up calcium intake from foods and supplements.

The researchers aren't sure if the calcium in dairy products is responsible for the increased bone density. Other nutrients, perhaps something that improves estrogen metabolism which can also increase bone strength, may also be involved.

Based on this study and previous research, here's my recommendation for women looking to build strong bones and prevent osteoporosis:

1. Drink 2-3 cups of skim milk per day. That could include some milk on high-fiber cereal, milk in a smoothie, milk in hot chocolate, or a cold glass of milk with your lunch.
2. Use 1 cup of fat-free yogurt per day. Plain yogurt has the most calcium and the least amount of calories. Zip up the flavor by adding it to a smoothie or making a parfait with fruit and high-fiber cereal.
3. Aim for a total of 1500-2000 mg of calcium per day from foods and supplements. A cup of milk has about 300 mg of calcium; plain fat-free yogurt has about 400 mg.
4. Do some form of weight-bearing activity for at least 30 minutes every day. Walking and running are weight bearing; swimming and biking are not.