News & Publications

New Research Helps Quantify Risk for Osteoporosis, Identify Long-term Impact of Physical Activity

Washington, DC (January 27, 2005) – Are all women equally at risk for osteoporosis? Do the physically active enjoy protection against fracture risk, even after reducing their activity level? New research published by the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR) in the February 2005 issue of the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research helps answer these questions. Moreover, this research addresses several critical research needs recently identified in the first-ever U.S. Surgeon General’s Report on Bone Health and Osteoporosis (www.surgeongeneral.org).

Poor Bone Health Is Costly
Bone health has been overlooked by many Americans, yet:

• Ten million American men and women over age 50 have osteoporosis, and another 34 million are at risk for developing this disease.
• 1.5 million Americans suffer an osteoporosis-related fracture each year.
• 300,000 hospitalizations from hip fracture occur annually, and 20% of senior citizens die within a year of hip fracture.
• Other bone diseases such as Paget’s disease, osteogenesis imperfecta, and fibrous dysplasia represent major health problems in the United States.

Funding for Bone Research Must Be Increased
The American Society for Bone and Mineral Research calls for increased funding for bone disease research – by the U.S. National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Department of Defense. In this charge to action, the ASBMR echoes U.S. Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona, M.D. Like Dr. Carmona, ASBMR supports a coordinated approach that brings together individuals, medical professionals, and public- and private-sector organizations to develop a national action plan to:

• Educate individuals about ways to improve bone health
• Encourage medical professionals to be more proactive in diagnosing and treating at-risk patients
• Promote research into improving knowledge about all bone diseases

The Pace of Discovery Needs to Be Quickened
Increased research funding will quicken the pace of discovery and translate research into practice and improved clinical outcomes. The Surgeon General’s report identifies a number of key directions for future research in bone disease, including:

• Addressing environmental, ethnic and genetic determinants of bone health
• Encouraging health care providers to take a more active role in promoting bone health
• Understanding how the skeleton responds to chronic immobility, weight loss and space travel
• Understanding the prevalence and burden of bone diseases and disorders other than osteoporosis

Research Published in the JBMR Helps Answer Questions
In the February 2005 issue of the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research (JBMR), several studies highlight aspects of bone health addressed in the Surgeon General’s report. In recognition of the importance of bone health to the American public, the ASBMR is providing free access to these articles (http://www.jbmronline.org):

Ethnicity and bone density. In the largest investigation of the influence of ethnicity on bone density and fractures in postmenopausal women, researchers compared bone mineral density in 197,848 postmenopausal women in five ethnic groups (African Americans, Asians, Hispanics, Native Americans, Caucasians) and found that ethnic differences may warrant ethnic-specific clinical recommendations. (Osteoporosis and Fracture Risk in Women of Different Ethnic Groups, J Bone Miner Res 2005; 20:185-194)

Physical activity and fracture risk. In an analysis of long-term effects of physical activity on fracture risk, investigators found that exercise during childhood and adolescence may be associated with a lower risk of fracture in old age, even when a high level of exercise is not sustained. (Bone Loss and Fracture Risk after Reduced Physical Activity, J Bone Miner Res 2005; 20:202-207)

Providing better measures of bone density. Investigators re-analyzed data from different software manufacturers; these findings will help physicians who diagnose and treat osteoporosis to obtain more accurate measures of patients’ bone health over time. (Recalculation of the NHANES Database, J Bone Miner Res 2005; 20:195-201)

Space travel and bone loss. Researchers working with the Mir Space Station studied mechanisms of bone loss that occurs during spaceflight, and their findings on bone breakdown, vitamin D and calcium metabolism may have relevance for clinical situations that impair mobility and weight-bearing activity. (Bone Markers, Calcium Metabolism, and Calcium Kinetics During Extended-Duration Space Flight on the Mir Space Station, J Bone Miner Res 2005; 20:208-218)

Improving diagnosis and treatment of fibrous dysplasia of bone. Fibrous dysplasia is a disease of the skeleton that causes pain, fractures and loss of function. Researchers developed a simple tool to measure the amount of affected bone, facilitating more objective study of the disease and prediction of functional outcome. (An Instrument to Measure Skeletal Burden, J Bone Miner Res 2005; 20:219-226)

About the ASBMR
The ASBMR is a nonprofit, medical and scientific society of nearly 4,000 members devoted to advancing bone-related research and translating that research into practice. In addition to publishing the JBMR, the ASBMR hosts the premier scientific meeting in the field. The 27th ASBMR Annual Meeting will be held in Nashville, Tennessee, September 23-27, 2005. Bone Quality: What Is It and How Do We Measure It?, a scientific meeting sponsored by the ASBMR and the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), will be held May 2-3, 2005, in Bethesda, Maryland. ASBMR also publishes the most widely used text on bone disease, with more than 100,000 copies published to date: the Primer on the Metabolic Bone Diseases and Disorders of Mineral Metabolism.

Resources
Bone Health and Osteoporosis: A Report of the Surgeon General is available in full at www.surgeongeneral.gov or by calling 1-866-718-2663. Also available on the website are fact sheets, a streaming video, and a 24-page consumer booklet on bone health (the last available in English and Spanish).