Knowing that more than 700,000 spinal fractures and more than 300,000 hip fractures occur annually in the United States, Dr. Fishman hoped that similar findings from a much larger study might convince doctors that this low-cost and less dangerous alternative to bone-loss drugs is worth pursuing.
Those medications can produce adverse side effects like gastrointestinal distress and fractures of the femur. Indeed, a recent study published in Clinical Interventions in Aging found that among 126,188 women found to have osteoporosis, all of whom had Medicare Part D drug coverage, only 28 percent started bone drug therapy within a year of diagnosis.
Many of those who avoided drugs were trying to avoid gastrointestinal problems.
On the other hand, yoga’s “side effects,” Dr. Fishman and colleagues wrote recently, “include better posture, improved balance, enhanced coordination, greater range of motion, higher strength, reduced levels of anxiety and better gait.”
Source: 12 Minutes of Yoga for Bone Health
I want to believe, but the study had no control group and the exercise is self reported.
It is amazing how researchers are able to ignore results from other fields. We know that bone density is not a good predictor for fractures. On the other hand, we know that dairy product consumption is correlated with higher density and fractures. There is no consensus on how to explain that currently, but one interesting theory is that dairy products promote bone metabolism (hence the higher density) up to renewal exhaustion (hence the fractures). I’d be interested to see how the theory holds up when they compare bone details between those who are and are not lactose intolerant. It wouldn’t be hard, considering that an estimated 75% of the world’s population is lactose intolerant.
The diet of the forager doesn’t appear to have been considered either. Calcium and vitamin K are not found in meat 😉
Vitamin K is not evil – it’s in our best interest to balance intake with blood thinners.