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Research stresses the need for women who take oral contraceptives
to counteract bone loss by dietary calcium intake.
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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. ? Women who take oral contraceptives can
counteract bone loss by making sure they have enough calcium in
their daily diet, especially early in life, according to Purdue
University research.
Earlier research has indicated that optimizing bone mass in
adolescence and young adulthood prevents low bone density and
osteoporosis later in life. On the other hand, oral contraceptives
appear to decrease bone density.
"It's estimated that eight out of 10 women in the United States
use oral contraceptives at some time during the years in which peak
bone mass is developing," said Dorothy Teegarden, assistant
professor in Purdue's Department of Foods and Nutrition. "The
results of our study suggest that the loss for this group can be
prevented by increasing calcium intake."
According to the National Academy of Sciences, the recommended
dietary allowance of calcium for women age 19 to 50 is 1,000
milligrams a day. The recommended daily allowance of calcium for
adolescents age 9 to 18 is 1,300 milligrams a day.
The 12-month study, funded by the American Dairy
Association/National Dairy Council, was published in the July issue
of Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.
The study compared 135 oral contraceptive users to non-users between
the ages of 18 and 30. Three groups were randomized to receive one
of three diets: control (less than 800 mg calcium a day), medium
dairy (1,000-1,100 mg calcium a day) and high dairy (1,200-1,300 mg
calcium a day).
At the end of the year, women using oral contraceptives and
consuming the medium- or high-dairy diet gained significantly more
bone mineral density in their hips and spines compared to the
low-dairy group.
"These results suggest that many women who are using oral
contraceptives in their peak bone-development years could reduce
their risk of osteoporosis by approximately 3 percent to 10 percent
over one year by making sure they get enough calcium in their diet,"
Teegarden said. "This demonstrates the importance of calcium intake,
either by getting enough dairy or with supplements."
Teegarden's laboratory currently is involved in a number of
clinical trials to investigate the effect of calcium consumption on
body fat. Her studies have shown that a high consumption of calcium
slows weight gain for young women, but her more recent studies show
that it may take years to make a noticeable difference.
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