Studies Examine HRT Effect On Dementia, Breast-Feeding Effect On Obesity, Osteoporosis Treatment

Main Category: Women's Health / Gynecology
Also Included In: Endocrinology;  Alzheimer's / Dementia;  Obesity / Weight Loss / Fitness
Article Date: 08 May 2007 - 12:00 PDT

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The following highlights recently released journal articles on women's health issues.

• Hormone replacement therapy and dementia: Women who used hormone replacement therapy before age 65 were less likely to develop dementia, compared with women who did not take HRT, according to a study released Wednesday at the American Academy of Neurology's annual meeting in Boston, Toronto's Globe and Mail reports (Shapiro, Globe and Mail, 5/3). Victor Henderson of Stanford University and colleagues looked at the records of 7,153 women who participated in the Women's Health Initiative to determine the affect of HRT on dementia development, the AP/Boston Herald reports. The study, funded by NIH and Wyeth, found that dementia developed in 1% of women who took HRT before age 65, and it developed in 1.7% of women who did not take the therapy. The apparent protective effect was especially prevalent for Alzheimer's disease, the study found. Henderson said the results of the study are too preliminary to consider giving younger women HRT to prevent dementia (Donn, AP/Boston Herald, 5/2).
  
  
• "A Longitudinal Study of Infant Feeding and Obesity Throughout Life Course," International Journal of Obesity: Karin Michels, an associate professor of epidemiology at Harvard Medical School, and colleagues enrolled about 14,000 women who were breast-fed as infants and more than 21,000 women who were not breast-fed to determine if breast-feeding prevents childhood and adult obesity, the Orlando Sentinel reports (Shelton, Orlando Sentinel, 5/1). The women in 1989 were all between ages 25 and 42, the AP/San Diego Union-Tribune reports. In the same year, the women were asked their height and weight at that point and when they were children and at age 18. The women updated their weight information every two years until 2001. Mothers of the women enrolled in the study were sent a questionnaire in 2001 asking if their daughters had been breast-fed and for how long, and researchers checked medical records to confirm the information when possible. The study found that women who were breast-fed as infants were as likely to be overweight or obese as children and adults as women who were not breast-fed. The study also found that the duration of breast-feeding did not affect obesity risk. The study involved only women, but the researchers believe the results are equally true for men, according to Michels (Stobbe, AP/San Diego Union-Tribune, 4/23).
  
  
• "Once-Yearly Zoledronic Acid for Treatment of Postmenopausal Osteoporosis," New England Journal of Medicine: Dennis Black of the University of California-San Francisco School of Medicine and colleagues randomly assigned 7,736 postmenopausal women to receive annual injections of zoledronic acid, the Baltimore Sun reports (Emery, Baltimore Sun, 5/3). Novartis is seeking FDA approval to market the drug under the brand-name Reclast for osteoporosis patients (Maugh, Los Angeles Times, 5/3). The researchers found that Reclast reduced spinal fractures by 70% and hip fractures by 41% (Long Island Newsday, 5/2). Women taking Reclast shrunk an average of 4.2 millimeters, compared with seven millimeters in the placebo group (Sataline, Wall Street Journal, 5/3). The primary side effects of the drug were fever and muscle pain, which dissipated within three days and did not occur with subsequent infusions. The researchers also found that 1.5% of participants experienced atrial fibrillation within the first two months after the infusion (Los Angeles Times, 5/3). Atrial fibrillation takes place in the upper chambers of the heart and is typified by irregular heart beats, Long Island Newsday reports (Ricks, Long Island Newsday, 5/2). Currently, doctors prescribe oral medications -- such as Actonel and Merck's Fosamx, which along with Reclast are in the biophosphonates class -- to prevent bone loss and reduce major health risks associated with fractures (Los Angeles Times, 5/3). Juliet Compston, a professor of bone medicine at the University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, in an accompanying NEJM editorial wrote that Reclast "should not replace other bisphosphonates, such as Fosamax, but provides an alternative first-line option and extends the choice of treatment for patients" (Newson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 5/3). In addition, a related NEJM letter examined a 1997 Merck-sponsored study of Fosamax use among postmenopausal women (Donn, AP/Houston Chronicle, 5/2).

ABC's "World News" on Wednesday reported on the Reclast study. The segment includes comments from Felicia Cosman of Helen Hayes Hospital, an investigator in the study and clinical director of the National Osteoporosis Foundation; Elinor Mody of the Center for Arthritis and Joint Diseases at Brigham and Women's Hospital; and an osteoporosis patient (McKenzie, "World News," ABC, 5/2). Video of the segment is available online. Expanded ABC News coverage is available online.

CBS' "Evening News" on Wednesday also reported on the study. The segment includes comments from Cosman; Steven Goldstein, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at New York University Medical Center; and an osteoporosis patient (LaPook, "Evening News," CBS, 5/2). Video of the segment and expanded CBS News coverage are available online.

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