Osteoporosis Related News
A step towards preventing ‘bone failure’ in Australia
07 Nov 2011
In collaboration with pharmaceutical companies and other stakeholders, Garvan will be running awareness-raising seminars about ‘bone failure’, with separate sessions for members of the public and GPs. The program, known as Health Education for Longer Life in Osteoporosis (HELLO) has its inaugural sessions on 26 and 27 November. Her Excellency Ms Quentin Bryce AC, Governor General of Australia, will be opening the Patient Seminar on 27 November.
An extra 5 years of life an unexpected benefit of osteoporosis treatment
MEDIA RELEASE:
03 Feb 2011
Clinical researchers at Garvan have noted an extraordinary and unexpected benefit of osteoporosis treatment – that people taking bisphosphonates are not only surviving well, better than people without osteoporosis, they appear to be gaining an extra five years of life.
Beta-blocker use protects bone health
MEDIA RELEASE:
09 Nov 2010
Beta-blocker use increases bone density and reduces risk of osteoporotic fracture by around 50% in men and women, say researchers at Garvan, who used data collected from the long-running Dubbo Osteoporosis Epidemiology Study to demonstrate their findings.
We now know that the brain controls the formation of bone
MEDIA RELEASE:
22 Dec 2009
New findings show that bone formation, far from being a straightforward mechanical process dependent on body weight, is delicately orchestrated by the brain, which sends and receives signals through the body’s neural and hormone systems.
Why measuring absolute risk of fracture could save many broken bones
MEDIA RELEASE:
28 Jul 2009
Garvan scientists stress the importance of measuring a person's absolute risk of fracture when determining their treatment options. Other factors currently determine whether or not the Australian Government will pay for preventative treatment.
Summarising a fractured debate about meat, fish, eggs, vegetables and bones
MEDIA RELEASE:
02 Jul 2009
Until now, medical opinion about the impact of vegetarian diets on bone health has been based on anecdotal evidence and a range of contradictory findings that sometimes rely on studies too small to be biologically relevant. A review and analysis of all relevant existing research shows that differences in bone mineral density between meat eaters and all vegetarians is 5%. The jury is still out on whether that translates into higher fracture risk.
When to get your bone density measured - that is the question
MEDIA RELEASE:
11 May 2009
A new Garvan study provides doctors with guidelines on when to repeat bone mineral density (BMD) tests for their patients. For a serious condition like osteoporosis, affecting millions, it is important to establish clear protocols.
Vegan Buddhist nuns have same bone density as non-vegetarians
MEDIA RELEASE:
16 Apr 2009
A study comparing the bone health of 105 post-menopausal vegan Buddhist nuns and 105 non-vegetarian women, matched in every other physical respect, has produced a surprising result. Their bone density was identical. The study was led by Garvan's Professor Nguyen in collaboration with a colleague in Vietnam.
Bone fractures can double or triple mortality for up to 10 years
MEDIA RELEASE:
04 Feb 2009
A new study shows that osteoporotic fractures increase a person’s risk of dying, even after relatively minor fractures if that person is elderly. With hip fractures, there is double the risk of death for women, three times the risk for men.
Why women should eat less, move more and consider wearing transdermal patches during menopause
MEDIA RELEASE:
24 Nov 2008
Weight and appetite experts from around the world met at a conference in Bangkok earlier this year to discuss sex differences in obesity. One line of discussion looked at factors leading to women’s weight gain during menopause, and how it might be avoided.
Study shows that prostate cancer increases the risk of bone fracture
MEDIA RELEASE:
14 May 2008
As unlikely as it sounds, scientists at Garvan have shown that there is a link between prostate cancer and a higher risk of bone fracture. Their study suggests that men with prostate cancer face a 50% higher risk of fracture, which increases to nearly 100% if they are receiving androgen deprivation therapy for their prostate cancer.
Genotyping takes us closer to an osteoporosis fingerprint
MEDIA RELEASE:
30 Apr 2008
Garvan collaborated with the Icelandic genetics company, deCode, in an extensive multi-nation genome-wide search to find the genes linked to osteoporosis and fracture. Five regions of interest have been identified that appear to warrant further scientific investigation.
Web-based tool to predict risk of bone fracture
MEDIA RELEASE:
06 Mar 2008
Scientists from Garvan have developed a fracture risk calculator using data, accumulated over 17 years, from the internationally recognised Dubbo Osteoporosis Epidemiology Study. A paper describing the tool and its methodology was published today in the prestigious international journal, Osteoporosis International.
Low testosterone in men doubles their risk of bone fracture
MEDIA RELEASE:
15 Jan 2008
Garvan researchers have shown that low levels of testosterone in men double their risk of bone fracture, all other risk factors being equal. This is a significant finding given that 30% of the 110,000 osteoporotic fractures experienced in Australia each year occur in men. It is likely that the findings will have implications for clinical practice, possibly including testosterone supplementation.
Osteoporosis: Men told to watch their step
25 Jan 2007
Garvan scientists say that men need to realise osteoporosis is not just a disease of elderly women and that once men over the age of 60 have had a fracture, around one in three will have broken another bone within just a few years.
