Keep abreast of what your patients are currently seeing in the media with our round-up of popular news stories, available from WHF as abstracts with links to the full-text articles.

From the week of April 28, 2008:

Disordered Eating is Widespread Among U.S. Women

A recent online poll of over 4000 women aged 25 to 45 yielded disturbing results regarding American women's attitudes toward food. 75% of the women surveyed reported some form of abnormal behavior or thought patterns regarding food. 10% of the women disclosed that they exhibit symptoms of eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia nervosa. Researchers found that disordered eating cut across all racial and ethnic lines; women from all backgrounds reported abnormal eating behavior. More than 31% of the women surveyed admitted to purging by inducing vomiting or using laxatives or diuretics to lose weight. Other disordered eating that was reported included skipping meals, avoiding carbohydrates, and extreme dieting. Some of the women reporting such activities did not recognize themselves as having abnormal eating behavior. Other statistics gleaned from the study show that 67% of the women (excluding the women with diagnosed eating disorders) were actively trying to lose weight, that 53% of the dieting women were already at a healthy weight, yet were continuing to try to lose weight, that 37% of the women's diet plans included regularly skipping meals, that 16% of the women have subsisted on fewer than 1000 calories a day to lose weight, and that 13% of the women surveyed smoke to curb their appetite and lose weight. Surprisingly, disordered eating rates were found to be equally distributed among women in their 20s, 30s, and 40s.

Read the full story on healthday.com

Cola May Be Bad to the Bones

Recent research suggests that cola consumption may compromise bone health. A high consumption of soda and carbonated beverages—especially cola products—is associated with lower bone mass. Soda consumption is believed to affect bone density in multiple ways: for one, people tend to replace more nutritious beverages, such as milk and calcium-fortified juice, with soda. This replacement deprives people of the vitamins and minerals necessary for good bone health. The caffeine in cola may also lead to a decreased bone density, as it has previously been linked to an increased risk for osteoporosis in studies. Finally, the phosphoric acid found in colas can create an imbalance in the body, which needs calcium to properly balance out the phosphate. Milk delivers the body a properly balanced amount of phosphate and calcium together, but colas force the body to take calcium from bones to balance out the phosphoric acid. Decreased calcium is associated with bone thinning and the development of osteoporosis, which can lead to fractures. Postmenopausal women are more prone to developing osteoporosis, and thus women should be especially conscious of their cola consumption. Experts recommend limiting consumption to 1 to 2 glasses of cola per week. Women should also take a calcium supplement and exercise, which both promote good bone health.

Read the full story on healthday.com

Women Risk Bone Loss After Knee Surgery

Tearing the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL)—the knee ligament that connects the thighbone to the shinbone—is a common injury for athletes. According to recent research, the pain of the injury and the trauma of surgery to repair the torn ACL are not the only troubling consequences of this injury. In a study conducted at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, women who underwent surgery to repair a torn ACL suffered significant bone loss surrounding the knee. This bone loss was even evident in women who underwent physical rehabilitation, and was still present 2 years after surgery. Bearing weight on the operative limb early on after surgery can help prevent the disparity in bone mass between the knees. Patient should try to avoid favoring the nonoperative limb, as such behavior leads to bone loss in the other leg. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery reports that women are responsible for 2 to 8 times more cases of ACL injury than men, with roughly 38,000 cases in women each year. Strength training and conditioning can help prevent female athletes from tearing their ACL. Also, women should be careful to not jump full-force into a sport without first being in the proper shape.

Read the full story on healthday.com

Scientists Identify Two Genes Raising the Risk of Osteoporosis

British researchers announced that they have identified two genetic mutations that may increase the risk of osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is a bone-thinning disease that primarily affects postmenopausal women. The loss of bone density can lead to fractures, often affecting the spine, hips, and wrists. Drugs classified as bisphosphonates are commonly used to treat osteoporosis, but have recently come under investigation for their link to severe muscle and joint pain and an increased risk of abnormal heartbeat. Researchers studied 2094 female twins to determine if there is an association between osteoporosis and specific genetic mutations. The study showed a link between decreased bone density and changes in chromosomes 8 and 11. Women with a mutation of chromosome 11 had a 30% greater risk for osteoporosis; women with a mutation of chromosome 8 faced a 20% higher risk. Those with both mutations had a 30% higher risk of the condition. Treatments targeting these 2 genes are now in development. In the future, researchers hope to develop screening procedures to identify individuals who are at an increased risk for osteoporotic fractures before they actually develop the disease.

Read the full story on nytimes.com