” Osteoporosis is a disease defined by breakable and weak bones triggered by bone loss. “However, the bulk of hip fractures take place in people who do not have osteoporosis, so it is crucial for everybody, specifically the senior, to take action to improve their bone health. Bone mineral density is modifiable, and even small enhancements decrease the danger of a fracture. Bone health is affected by lifestyle elements such as smoking, physical activity, and nutrition, including vitamin D and dietary calcium intake. Stopping smoking, maintaining moderate physical activity, and eating a healthy diet can all help decrease bone loss.”
A new Australian research study recommends that community-wide adoption of easy bone-strengthening procedures can considerably reduce hip fractures, emphasizing the value of small enhancements in bone health for both high and low-risk individuals.
Carrying out community-wide basic bone-strengthening techniques, not limited to high-risk individuals, might substantially decrease hip fractures, according to a current Australian research study.
Easy, community-wide methods to boost bone health might significantly lower hip fractures, according to a recent Australian research study.
Hip fractures, particularly in older grownups, considerably raise death rates. Around 37% of men and 20% of females pass away within a year of experiencing a hip fracture. Besides the heightened threat of death, these fractures cause extreme discomfort, loss of mobility and self-reliance, and higher healthcare costs.
Expert Insights on Bone Health
Identified Professor Tuan Nguyen, a world-leading scientist in osteoporosis from the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) who led the study, stated it is very important for individuals to take simple measures to improve their bone health, even if they dont have osteoporosis, and even if the measures appear to have minor advantages to them.
” Osteoporosis is an illness identified by weak and fragile bones brought on by bone loss. Osteoporotic individuals have the greatest threat of a hip fracture, and pharmacologic treatment can lower this risk by around 50 percent,” stated Professor Nguyen. “However, the majority of hip fractures happen in people who do not have osteoporosis, so it is essential for everyone, specifically the elderly, to act to improve their bone health. Bone mineral density is flexible, and even small improvements decrease the risk of a fracture. Bone health is affected by way of life factors such as smoking, physical activity, and nutrition, consisting of vitamin D and dietary calcium consumption. Stopping smoking, preserving moderate physical activity, and consuming a healthy diet plan can all help in reducing bone loss.”
Circulation of bone mineral density and hip fracture. Credit: Distinguished Professor Tuan Nguyen
The Study and Its Findings
The research study was just recently published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, with co-authors from The Garvan Institute of Medical Research and UNSW Sydney.
The researchers evaluated information from the Dubbo Osteoporosis Epidemiology Study, one of the longest-running studies on osteoporosis in the world. It includes more than 3000 individuals over 60 years of age, who have been tracked over time for fracture occurrence and threat aspects.
They discovered that between the first mate in 1988-92 and the second in 1999-2001, bone mineral density increased by 3 percent. Throughout the exact same duration, there was a 45 percent decrease in hip fractures, a decline typically connected with a 10 percent rise in bone mineral density.
British epidemiologist Geoffrey Rose postulated that a population-based procedure bringing a small benefit to each person can yield large benefits to the community. The present research study supports this axiom, by revealing a small increase in bone density led to a considerable reduction in hip fractures.
Significance of Minor Improvements
Teacher Nguyen draws a parallel with wearing a cars and truck seat belt. “Wearing a seat belt might bring little advantage to a specific due to the fact that the likelihood of having a car accident is really low, but we understand this easy action does save lives in the community.”
” Some people who are following medication programs or engaging in way of life modification programs and observe a slight modification in bone mineral density may think that these steps hold little benefit for them. Even these minor results can lead to a significant decrease in fracture risk for the neighborhood,” he stated.
Epidemiologist and first author Dr. Thach Tran said the study findings will be of interest to public health policymakers and physician, along with people who desire to minimize their risk of a hip fracture.
” Our research study recommends that population techniques concentrated on reducing threat in those at low or moderate danger are likely to be more effective than strategies just concentrated on high-risk people,” he said.
” The findings likewise imply that the classification of bone mineral density into osteoporosis or non-osteoporosis based upon an arbitrary limit is not an ideal approach for identifying people at high risk of fracture.”
Recommendation: “Prevention of Hip Fractures: Trade-off in between Minor Benefits to Individuals and Large Benefits to the Community” by Thach S. Tran, Thao P. Ho-Le, Dana Bliuc, Jacqueline R. Center, Robert D. Blank and Tuan V. Nguyen, 28 August 2023, Journal of Bone and Mineral Research.DOI: 10.1002/ jbmr.4907.
The research study was funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council.