Bone Health Improving in Older Americans

It appears the older population in America is suffering fewer fractures and less bone mineral density (BMD) loss. Anne Looker, PhD, and her team from the National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), found these welcomed trends in their review of femur neck BMD data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES, 2005-2006), comparing it to data collected 10 years prior in the same survey. The catch? The researchers seem at a loss to explain the improved bone health in this population—increased body mass (weight bearing strengthens bones) and bone loss medications were ruled out as primary factors.

Published in Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, the results showed low BMD in the neck of femur bones dropped to 11 percent in women from the 18 percent recorded 10 years prior. In men, the deficiency dropped from 5 percent to 2 percent. Non-Hispanic whites showed the most improvements, while Hispanics and African-Americans had less pronounced improvements. Despite all the data, the researchers could not find a cause for the improvement. They said they will look at diet, weight history, smoking, and other health behaviors, including physical activity in future reviews and surveys.