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Older women who diet may need extra calcium

Half of women older than age 50 suffer a fracture due to osteoporosis--an age-related thinning of the bones. Heavier women, with their greater bone mass, are less likely than thinner women to develop osteoporosis. However, when older, heavier women lose weight, some of their bone mass goes with it, according to the report in the July issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

In a study of 67 overweight postmenopausal women, Dr. Dinnie Chao and her colleagues found that over a 1-year period, weight loss triggered a "mild reduction" in the women's bone density. Chao, a researcher at the University of California, Davis, told Reuters Health that this finding should not discourage older women from losing excess pounds. The health benefits--a lowered risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes--are clear, she noted.

Instead, Chao said, "we think that doctors should not only prescribe a weight loss intervention. They should also monitor older women's bone mineral density."

In addition, she said, women should add exercise to their diet plans. Exercise has been shown to help women maintain bone mass. Diets rich in calcium and vitamin D can also ward off bone loss. According to the National Institute on Aging, women near or past menopause should take in 1,500 milligrams of calcium every day.

In their study, Chao and her colleagues had some of the women follow a weight loss program that included dietary changes and instruction on exercising. At the end of 1 year, women on the program showed "minor" bone loss, Chao said. Whether the bone loss was enough to boost their risk for osteoporosis was unclear, but Chao said the decrease was "not that critical."