Month: December 2013

15 Cholesterol myths busted

 

Myth #1: High cholesterol is only a concern for men- not women.

Women have estrogen on their side to help keep cholesterol levels within the normal range. However, after menopause this advantage is gone. Men over 45 and women over 55 are at higher risk for elevated cholesterol.

Myth #2: High cholesterol is genetic and there is nothing you can do about it.

While genetics definitely play a role, diet and lifestyle choices have a significant impact on cholesterol levels. Having a family history of high cholesterol means you need to take preventive steps and be more proactive to keep your levels within normal.

Myth #3: Cholesterol can only be successfully lowered with medication

When you learn you have high cholesterol it’s important to investigate the cause. Frequently if you correct the cause your cholesterol levels will return to normal. Possible causes of high cholesterol may include poor diet, lack of activity, infection, mental stress, and physical stress (such as surgery).

Myth #4: Taking cholesterol lowering medication means I do not have to change my diet or be more active.

Cholesterol medications can help lower cholesterol levels only so far. By making heart healthy diet and lifestyle choices you’ll increase the effectiveness of your medication.

Myth #5: Food is heart-healthy if it says “0 mg cholesterol”

The Cholesterol portion of the nutritional label refers to dietary cholesterol, which is only one of the things found in food that can cause your cholesterol to go sky-high. Saturated fat (found in animal foods and dairy products) and trans fats (found in packaged foods) appear to have a far greater impact on low-density lipoprotein (LDL), the so-called bad cholesterol that causes atherosclerosis, than dietary cholesterol.

Myth #6: Kids can’t have high cholesterol

Research has shown that atherosclerosis—the narrowing of the arteries that leads to heart attacks—can start as early as age eight. The American Academy of Paediatrics guidelines on kids and cholesterol recommended that children who are overweight, have hypertension, or have a family history of heart disease have their cholesterol tested as young as two. Children with high cholesterol should be on a diet that restricts saturated fat and dietary cholesterol, and exercise more are also recommended.

Myth #7: Food is heart-healthy if it says “0 mg cholesterol”

The Cholesterol portion of the nutritional label refers to dietary cholesterol, which is only one of the things found in food that can cause your cholesterol to go sky-high. Saturated fat (found in animal foods and dairy products) and trans fats (found in packaged foods) appear to have a far greater impact on low-density lipoprotein (LDL), the so-called bad cholesterol that causes atherosclerosis, than dietary cholesterol.

Myth #8: Cholesterol is always a bad thing

When most people hear “cholesterol” they think “bad.” The reality is more complex. High cholesterol can be dangerous, but cholesterol itself is essential to various bodily processes, from insulating nerve cells in the brain to providing structure for cell membranes. The role of cholesterol in heart disease is often misunderstood. Cholesterol is carried through the bloodstream by low-density and high-density lipoproteins (LDL and HDL). LDL, known as bad cholesterol, and not the cholesterol it carries per se, is responsible for atherosclerosis.

Myth #9: Low cholesterol is always a sign of good health.

Although low levels of LDL cholesterol are usually healthy, a new study reports that people who develop cancer typically have lower LDL in the years prior to diagnosis than those who don’t get cancer. People with low blood cholesterol are also prone to various infections, suffer from them longer and are more likely to die from an infection.

Myth # 10: There are no visible symptoms of high cholesterol.

Some people with high cholesterol develop yellowish-red bumps called xanthomas that can occur on the eyelids, joints, hands, or other parts of the body. People with diabetes or an inherited condition called familial hypercholesterolemia are more likely to have xanthomas.

The best way to tell if your cholesterol is too high is to have it checked every three years, starting at age 20, or more often, if advised by your healthcare provider.

Myth # 11: It’s okay to stop taking your cholesterol medication once you get your numbers down.

If you stop taking your cholesterol medication, your bad LDL cholesterol might bounce back to where it was when you started. When your cholesterol goes back up, so does your risk of heart attack and stroke. While there’s no “cure” for high cholesterol, it can be managed successfully. Managing cholesterol successfully takes a lifelong commitment to your health—including taking your medication every day.

Myth # 12: High cholesterol isn’t a problem for thin people.

Thin, overweight, or in-between, everyone should have their cholesterol checked regularly. While overweight people tend to have high cholesterol from eating too much fatty food, those who don’t gain weight easily need to be aware of how much saturated fat they eat.

Myth # 13: Switching from butter to margarine will help lower my cholesterol.

Margarine, like butter, is high in fat—and all fatty foods should be eaten in moderation if you have high cholesterol. Most margarine contains saturated fat, a major food factor in high cholesterol. The recommended choice is a liquid vegetable oil that doesn’t contain any trans fat (hydrogenated vegetable oil).

Myth # 14: There’s no need to have your cholesterol checked until you’re middle-aged.

Even children—especially those with a family history of heart disease—can have high cholesterol levels. Getting cholesterol levels checked at an early age is a good idea.

Myth # 15: All your cholesterol comes from food.

Most of the cholesterol inside you doesn’t come from the food you eat, but from your body’s natural processes.

 

Source: healthy eating

5 Teas that make you slim!

 

The brew that energises can also help you lose weight. Here’s how…

It’s widely known that just one cup of tea can prevent strokes, arthritis, tooth decay and even keep cancer at bay. While it’s regarded as nature’s tranquiliser for its soothing properties, the brew also has another great benefit – it helps shed weight. Scientists have shown that tea has high levels of compounds that battle the absorption of fat.

5 teas that can result in a slimmer you…

Star anise tea: promotes digestion
Star anise, the fruit of a small evergreen tree (Illicium verum) native to China, can be used in the treatment of digestive troubles such an upset stomach, diarrhea, nausea etc. One may drink a tea made from it by steeping a whole pod in one cup of hot water for 10 minutes. Strain this and sweeten it if required. Sip on this slowly when an upset stomach occurs.

Peppermint tea: controls what you eat
If you like peppermint tea then try and rotate that with a green tea drink as both speed up digestion and thus help you burn more calories. The peppermint leaves can be used to make a light, refreshing tea, which can be drunk either hot or chilled. To prepare the tea, take a tablespoon of fresh or dried leaves and add them to boiling water and let it steep for four to five minutes. Strain and add honey, if needed.

Green tea: builds metabolism
Research says the chemical EGCG found in green tea that speeds up the body’s metabolism, is responsible for helping people lose the kilos – it can burn a whopping 70 calories a day! Green tea also raises the level of antioxidants. It’s believed the antioxidant catechins in green tea boost metabolism and helps burn fat (can burn a whopping 70 calories a day!) Steeping time for the tea: two to three minutes at 85 Degrees Celsius.

Rose tea: prevents constipation
One of the oldest flavouring teas available, rose tea – made by mixing fresh roses and the bud of the tea – has a major therapeutic effect on the human body. Apart from clearing toxins and beautifying the skin, rose tea contains vitamins A, B3, C, D and E and is known to act against infections. It also prevents constipation and helps one lose weight.

Oolong tea: guards against obesity
Research reveals that oolong, a semi-fermented tea may have a stronger effect than even green tea. It promotes fat burning is said to help reduce cholesterol and the concentration of fat in the body. About two cups per day is recommended. Steep oolong tea anywhere from 30 seconds to five minutes, for a more full-bodied cup.

Source: Before it’s news

What Are the Health Benefits of Climbing Stairs?

 

Aerobic workouts that feature stair climbing offer a variety of benefits to your overall health. The vigorous and continuous movement of your legs and hips results in deeper breathing and increases your heartbeat, which enhances blood flow to all areas of your body. Your body releases natural pain relievers, or endorphins, during a stair climb, so you’ll feel better and have less tension. Doctors also recommend stair climbing as an ideal way to improve your energy, increase the function of your immune system and lower your risk for diabetes, high blood pressure, osteoporosis and heart disease.
Weight and Increased Challenge
Harvard Medical School reports that stair climbing is an effective way to lose weight and keep it off, since people who walk up stairs, even at a slower pace, burn calories three times faster than when walking at a faster speed on a normal surface. A workout on the stairs also provides maximum challenge for people who already maintain good fitness, including football players and other athletes, since the activity is estimated to be twice as vigorous as lifting weights or walking on a steep incline.

How Much You’ll Need
Fitness experts usually recommend between 30 and 60 minutes of aerobic activity like stair climbing on three to five days every week in order to gain the most health benefits. Start at a slow pace and aim to walk only a few flights until your body feels ready for an increased challenge. Protect your feet during stair workouts by wearing shoes with a firm heel, thick soles and sufficient arch support and aim to spend at least five minutes walking normally at a slow pace to warm your muscles. Consider alternating your stair climbing with aerobic methods like bike riding or swimming in order to prevent muscle overuse and limit joint strain.

Not for Everyone
While stair climbing offers a variety of health benefits, the vigorous activity may be unsafe for people with heart conditions, as well as for those with knee, hip or ankle problems. Discuss stair climbing with your doctor in advance of any activity and lower your risk for injury by using the railing for balance. Use extreme caution when traveling downward, as your knees and ankles are subjected to stress that equals at least six times your normal body weight, according to the New York Times.com.
Sponsored Links

Source: healthy living

 

7 Foods that make you stink

Blamed on everything from genes, to cheap perfume, even occupation, or the type of food you ate, body odour can be crowned as the single biggest turning off factor in social interactions.

Some experts might blame it on the excessive use of deodorants and some might blame it on the biological composition of your body, but many unanimously agree that some specific types of food items can lead to body odour. Zoom in on our list of top 7 foods that cause body odour and consume them in moderation if you are a regular victim of this disorder.

Spicy food
A spice overload can lead to excessive sulfur in your food intake, which will be eliminated through skin’s pores and breath. Ensure that you eat well-balanced meals that aren’t too heavy on garlic, onions or piping hot curries.

Red meat
Red meat requires maximum digestion effort for your body to process. Over-eating will lead to issues liker perspiration and unwanted sweat. While vegetarians might not have such issues with their limited food intake, fenugreek and other strong flavoured plants cause similar results.

Alcohol
Chocolate, soda, tea, coffee, alcohol – consuming any of these in excess causes body odour as when you drink them atleast 10% of it will be left unprocessed causing perspiration. Excessive alcohol, in particular, may cause body odour.

Junk foods
Excessive consumption of junk foods with next to no exercise routine, will lead to accumulation of fatty cells inside your body which is the chief reason behind sweating and BO. They lead to unwanted breath and body odour as the food takes longer than their healthier counterparts to get digested. Foods high in hydrogenated oil, sugar, flour, salt and so on are not good when consumed in excess.

Low carbs
A diet which does not contain carbs can lead to a greater release of sweat in the body and also excess of protein foods. This process leads to a release of chemical called ketones in your bloodstream which lead to unwanted smell.

Dairy products
Again, dairy products are rich in protein and high consumption of these food items will take longer for your stomach to digest them. Excess consumption of dairy products can lead to release of hydrogen sulfide and methyl mercaptan in the body which can easily trigger off a foul smell.

Tobacco
We all know it. When the smoke of cigarettes mingles with other sweat glands in the body it’ll lead to a release of a distinctive smell which leads to a specific ‘smoker’ smell that lingers on everything from clothing to hair.

Source: Times of India

CDC issues warning about painful virus from mosquitoes

A virus that causes pain so severe that patients lie groaning in bed for days has come to the Western Hemisphere and travelers should take precautions, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cautions.

Chikungunya virus has been confirmed in 10 people on the French side of St. Martin in the Caribbean, and it’s very likely to end up in the United States, CDC says. The virus is carried by the same mosquitoes that spread dengue virus — Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus, more commonly known as the Asian tiger mosquito. Both have been making inroads into the U.S.

“Microbes know no boundaries, and the appearance of chikungunya virus in the Western hemisphere represents another threat to health security,” CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden said in a statement. “CDC experts have predicted and prepared for its arrival for several years and there are surveillance systems in place to help us track it.”

Chikungunya is not usually deadly, but it can cause a very bad headache, joint pain, rash and fever. Its name in the Makonde language, spoken in Tanzania and Mozambique in Africa, means “that which bends up,” because patients are often contorted with pain.

Chikungunya has been spreading out of Africa into the Indian Ocean region, Asia and Europe in recent years. So far, only 109 travelers have carried it into the U.S. and it hasn’t spread. But West Nile virus, also carried by mosquitoes, came to the U.S. in 1999 and is now established across North America.

A study last year predicted that it’s possible a single, infected person could start an outbreak of Chikungunya in New York once Asian tiger mosquitoes become more common in the city.

“CDC estimates that about 9 million U.S. residents travel to the Caribbean each year. Given that volume of travelers, chikungunya could occur more frequently in returning U.S. mainland travelers if the virus expands in the region,” the agency said in a statement.

“Infected travelers could then cause local transmission of the virus in the United States if mosquitoes bite infected people and then bite other people.”

Travelers to St. Martin should take extra care to protect themselves from mosquito bites, CDC says. They should use insect repellent, wear long sleeves and pants, and use air conditioning and screens on windows and doors to keep mosquitoes out.

“Travelers returning from the Caribbean who experience fever and joint pains as well as other symptoms of chikungunya (e.g., headache, muscle pains, or rash) should seek medical care, and health care providers should be on the alert for possible cases,” CDC says. And any patients should take care not to get bitten by more mosquitoes—which could carry the virus to other people.

There’s no vaccine and no specific treatment for chikungunya.

Source: Nbc news

Why more boomers are getting cataract surgery at a younger age

 

On the morning I got cataract surgery, my ophthalmologist joked it was his “young day,” since all his surgical patients were under 70.

I’m 43. I first noticed the haziness in my left eye about this time last year and thought it was a dirty contact. A few months later, I went to my doctor and got a huge shock.

My doctor appeared just as surprised – partly because of my age at the time, 42, and partly because I showed no sign of a cataract at an exam just six months earlier.

Only one percent of all cataract surgery patients are as young as me, according to Dr. David Chang, clinical spokesman for the American Academy of Ophthalmology. But many more people in their 40s probably have cataracts already forming in one or both eyes and just don’t know it yet.

A cataract is a clouding of the eye’s lens. It’s the most common cause of blindness in the world — and it’s also a normal part of aging. More than 3.3 million such surgeries are performed in the country each year, said Chang, who described it as “the most common operation performed anywhere on the body.” And a recent study by the Mayo Clinic indicates an increasing number of people are having cataract surgery — and are doing so at “younger” ages. The study, which examined cataract surgeries done from 2005 to 2011 in Minnesota’s Olmsted County, found that about 20 percent of those surgeries were in patients younger than 65.

By age 80, more than half of all Americans either have a cataract or have had cataract surgery, according to the National Institutes of Health’s National Eye Institute.

“When does it happen? Well, we could say it’s pretty common in our 50s, but there are plenty of people who have a full head of hair in their 70s. There are also a lot of people who get bald spots or start to see their hairlines recede in their 30s,” said Chang, chairman of the cataract guidelines committee for the AAO.

It took about a year from the time I first noticed hazy vision to when I finally scheduled my surgery. In between, I often felt my left eye was looking through a dirty, Vaseline-smudged window. Since it is most notable in bright light, the cataract was a nuisance when I played with my kids outdoors or drove them around on sunny days. While at the beach last summer, I felt like I was looking through a sand storm.

Shortly afterward, I had reached my annoyance threshold. That’s a similar trait doctors see among their “younger” patients, whose active lifestyles make them less willing to put up with a cataract’s inconvenience, said Dr. Rosa Braga-Mele, who chairs the cataract clinical committee of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery.

While the majority of cataract patients are in their 70s and 80s, Braga-Mele said she recently noticed an increase in patients between 50-65 – a range reflecting the heart of the baby boomer population, a generation living longer and less tolerant of any hurdle to their independence.

“Whereas my grandmother or even my mother might have waited until she was in her 80s because she didn’t really need her vision for what she was doing … the baby boomer population, the minute their vision starts to drop, says, ‘Well, this isn’t normal, I can’t do my job. There has to be a solution to help me function at the level I’m used to functioning at,” she said.

That was the case for Katie Roberts. At 37, she is far younger than any Boomer, but she understands why many of them would elect to have surgery as early as possible. The Morgan Hill, Calif., firefighter has had cataract surgery on both of her eyes; she was 32 when she had the first procedure.

Unlike my cataract — which had no physical cause or genetic disposition — the ones Roberts developed were a side effect from steroid medication she received in her 20s for an eye disease, pars planitis. When she first showed signs of a cataract, she initially thought she was experiencing a flare-up. Once she got the correct diagnosis, she ended up getting surgery about a month later.

“Because I have to drive a fire engine and drive at night, with lots of lights and everything going on, I got it done as soon as it was bothering me, just enough to where I was aware of it,” she said.

Dr. Bonnie An Henderson, a clinical professor of ophthalmology at Tufts University School of Medicine, hasn’t seen the average age of her patients dip, but she believes several factors may explain why more people are having surgery. One reason is the proliferation of cell phones, computers and tablets over recent years.

“Patients may detect even a small decrease in their visual function earlier than before,” Henderson said.

In addition, diagnostic tools are more sophisticated than they were a generation ago, making it easier for ophthalmologists to evaluate and diagnose cataract severity, she said.

All doctors agree there isn’t a specific time when surgery is needed to remove cataracts. One person may not find it a bother, while someone else with the same rate of progression may find it completely disruptive.

I clearly remember the advice my doctor gave me about when to give him the green light for surgery.

“There’s no magic number when you have to get it done,” he said. “It’s whenever you’re ready to cry ‘Uncle.’”

Source: Today health

Diabetes risk gene may be inherited from Neanderthals

 

A gene variant that increases the risk of diabetes in Latin Americans may have been inherited from Neanderthals, a new study has found.

The gene variant was detected in a large genome-wide association study (GWAS) of more than 8,000 Mexicans and other Latin Americans.

People who carry the higher risk version of the gene are 25 per cent more likely to have diabetes than those who do not, and people who inherited copies from both parents are 50 per cent more likely to have diabetes, researchers found.

The higher risk form of the gene – named SLC16A11 – has been found in up to half of people with recent Native American ancestry, including Latin Americans, ‘BBC News’ reported.

The variant is found in about 20 per cent of East Asians and is rare in populations from Europe and Africa.

The elevated frequency of this risk gene in Latin Americans could account for as much as 20 per cent of the populations’ increased prevalence of type 2 diabetes – the origins of which are not well understood.

“To date, genetic studies have largely used samples from people of European or Asian ancestry, which makes it possible to miss culprit genes that are altered at different frequencies in other populations,” said co-corresponding author Jose Florez, a Broad associate member, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and an Assistant Physician in the Diabetes Unit and the Center for Human Genetic Research at the Massachusetts General Hospital.

“By expanding our search to include samples from Mexico and Latin America, we’ve found one of the strongest genetic risk factors discovered to date, which could illuminate new pathways to target with drugs and a deeper understanding of the disease,” Florez said.

In the study published in the journal Nature, researchers conducted genomic analyses, in collaboration with Svante Paabo of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, and discovered that the SLC16A11 sequence associated with risk of type 2 diabetes is found in a newly sequenced Neanderthal genome.

Source: Indian Express

New genetic clues for rheumatoid arthritis ‘cure’

An international team of researchers has found more than 40 new areas in DNA that increase the risk of rheumatoid arthritis.

The work is the largest genetic study ever carried out, involving nearly 30,000 patients.

The investigators believe new drugs could be developed to target these areas that could one day provide a cure for the disease.

The findings are published in the Journal Nature.

The research team compared the DNA of arthritis patients with those without the disease and found 42 ‘faulty’ areas that were linked with the disease. The hope is that drugs can be developed to compensate for these faults.

The lead researcher Professor Robert Plenge of Harvard Medical School found that one of these areas produced a weakness that was treated by an existing drug that was developed by trial and error, rather than specifically made to correct the genetic problem.

This finding, he says, shows such discoveries could be used to design new drugs.

“What this offers in the future is an opportunity to use genetics to discover new medicines for complex diseases like rheumatoid arthritis to treat or even cure the disease,” he said.

Complex diseases
Some have argued identifying genetic weak areas for complex diseases – known as single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) – is not useful. There is little or no evidence, they argue, that “silencing the SNPs” with drugs will relieve any symptoms.

But Dr Plenge says the fact that he has found an established drug that treats the symptoms that arise from a particular SNP for rheumatoid arthritis validates this genetic approach.

“It offers tremendous potential. This approach could be used to identify drug targets for complex diseases, nut just rheumatoid arthritis, but diabetes, Alzheimer’s and coronary heart disease”

Fast track
The study also found SNPs in the rheumatoid arthritis patients that also occur in patients with types of blood cancer.

According to Prof Jane Worthington, director of the centre for genetics in Manchester, this observation suggests that drugs that are being used to treat the cancer could be effective against rheumatoid arthritis and so should be fast tracked into clinical trials.

“There are already therapies that have been designed in the cancer field that might open up new opportunities for retargeting drugs,” she told BBC News.

“It might allow us a straightforward way to add therapies we have to treat patients with rheumatoid arthritis”.

Source: escience

Diabetes patients unaware of vision loss

Diabetes commonly causes DME, which is a thickening of the eye’s retina. That change can be detected in an eye exam that includes dilation of the pupils. Left untreated, DME is likely to cause progressive vision loss.

Degeneration of the retina in people with diabetes, known as diabetic retinopathy – which is often caused by DME – is the leading cause of blindness in the U.S., Bressler and his colleagues write in the journal JAMA Opthalmology.

Many U.S. medical authorities recommend annual eye checks for diabetics to monitor early signs of vision problems, but many people with diabetes do not get the proper type or frequency of eye care

The survey data Bressler’s team used included patient questionnaires and physical examinations, so people with vision loss could be identified even if they themselves were unaware of the changes in their sight.

The researchers considered a subset of 800 people from the survey who reported having diabetes, which affects 25.8 million people in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Of the 800 self-reported diabetics, the physical exam confirmed that 238 had diabetic retinopathy without DME and 48 had DME.

Some 60 percent of those with DME said they had undergone an eye exam with pupil dilation within the past year. But only 45 percent said their doctor told them about the changes in their eyes.

Physician and patient behavior seem not to have changed in recent years, despite wonderful new achievements in potential treatments for diabetic eye problems, Dr. Lee Jampol told Reuters Health.

A professor of ophthalmology who studies diabetes and vision at Northwestern University in Chicago, Jampol was not involved with the new estimate.

“This study is very important as it shows that many diabetics are not aware of potential or actual real risk to their eyesight from diabetic retinopathy,” Jampol said.

Physicians and patients need to be more aware of the vision risks involved in diabetes and insist on yearly visits to the ophthalmologist, he said.

Treatment for DMA “typically involves injections of biologics into the middle cavity of the eye that in most cases cause resolution of the swelling with prevention of vision loss in about 90 to 95 percent of cases, and improvement in vision in about 50 percent of cases when the edema involves the center of the retina and is causing vision impairment,” Bressler said.

Patients tend to need about nine injections in the first year with a couple of additional shots over the next two years, and may require laser surgery as well, which can cause the price to vary quite a bit, he said.

“Everyone with diabetes should be referred to an appropriate health care provider who can evaluate the retina for DME or diabetic retinopathy, even in the absence of symptoms, periodically, so that complications which can be treated to prevent vision impairment and blindness can be done,” Bressler said.

Source:

Low Vitamin B-12 Levels Tied to Bone Fractures in Older Men

Older men with low levels of vitamin B-12 are at increased risk for bone fractures, a new study suggests.

Researchers measured the levels of vitamin B-12 in 1,000 Swedish men with an average age of 75. They found that participants with low levels of the vitamin were more likely than those with normal levels to have suffered a fracture.

Men in the group with the lowest B-12 levels were about 70 percent more likely to have suffered a fracture than others in the study. This increased risk was primarily due to fractures in the lumbar spine, where there was an up to 120 percent greater chance of fractures.

“The higher risk also remains when we take other risk factors for fractures into consideration, such as age, smoking, [weight], bone-mineral density, previous fractures, physical activity, the vitamin D content in the blood and calcium intake,” study author Catharina Lewerin, a researcher at the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, in Sweden, said in a university news release.

It is not known, however, if consuming more vitamin B-12 — which is found in eggs, fish, poultry and other meats — can reduce the risk of fractures in older men.

“Right now, there is no reason to eat more vitamin B-12, but rather treatment shall only be applied in confirmed cases of deficiencies and in some cases to prevent deficiencies,” Lewerin said. “For anyone who wants to strengthen their bones and prevent fractures, physical activity 30 minutes a day and quitting smoking is good self care.”

Although the study tied lower vitamin B-12 levels to a higher risk of fracture in older men, it did not establish a cause-and-effect relationship.

This study — published online in the journal Osteoporosis International — is a part of an international research project initiated by the U.S. National Institutes of Health that includes 11,000 men.

Source: Health