[Lifestyle] Reducing the consumption of tobacco and alcohol reduces the number of hip fractures

[G h o s t l y.]

Study Finds Modifiable Lifestyle Factors Along With Treatments May Be Beneficial


 

A new study, looking at 40 years of data from the Framingham Heart Study, has found an association between decreased rates of hip fractures and decreased smoking and heavy alcohol use. Although some experts attribute this change primarily to improved bone health treatments, a new study supported by the US National Institutes of Health suggests other factors. These results, published in the journal 'JAMA Internal Medicine', indicate that modifiable lifestyle factors, along with treatments, may be beneficial for bone health.
 

The analysis included information from 4,918 men and 5,634 women who participated in the Framingham Study. These individuals were followed up for a first hip fracture between January 1, 1970 and December 31, 2010. Hip fracture rates, which were adjusted for age, decreased by 4.4 percent each year from throughout the 40 years of the study period. The decrease was observed in both men and women.
 

In this group, the smoking rate decreased from 38 percent in the 1970s to 15 percent in the 2006-2010 period. During the same period, binge drinking (defined as three or more drinks per day) fell from 7 to 4.5 percent. Rates of other risk factors for hip fracture, such as low weight and early menopause, did not change during the study period.
 

"This study points to the continuing need for public health interventions to address modifiable lifestyle factors, such as smoking and drinking, in addition to considering osteoporosis treatments in individuals at risk of hip fracture," explains the leader. of the investigation, Timothy Bhattacharyya.
 

The Framingham Heart Study began in 1948 to determine the factors that contribute to cardiovascular disease. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute took over responsibility for the project in 1949. Although many of the original participants have passed away, the study continues to examine two other generations of residents in and around Framingham, Massachusetts.
 

The study authors note that since the data came exclusively from white individuals, it is unclear whether other po[CENSORED]tions could show a similar correlation based on lifestyle factors. Another limiting factor was that the Framingham participants had obesity rates lower than the national average. Also, the study did not include measurements of bone mineral density, because those tests were not available until the 1990s.