Caffeine, moderate alcohol intake, and risk of fractures of the hip and forearm in middle-aged women

Article Abstract:

Caffeine has been shown to increase the amount of calcium that is lost from the body in the urine. Several studies have examined the effects of caffeine on bone mass. Some of these studies have reported that caffeine reduces bone mass, thereby increasing the likelihood of bone fractures, while other studies have reported that caffeine does not reduce bone mass. Similar studies have been performed to determine the effects of alcohol on bone mass. Some of these studies reported that alcohol increases the risk of bone fractures, while other studies did not. Therefore, a study was done to determine the relationships among caffeine intake, alcohol intake, and the risk of bone fractures in middle-aged women (aged 34 to 59). Questionnaires were used to obtain information regarding the daily use of caffeine and alcohol by 84,484 women. During the following six years, these women experienced a total of 658 bone fractures (65 hip and 593 forearm fractures). The women who consumed between 192 and 360 milligrams (mg) of caffeine per day had a two-fold greater risk of hip fracture, and those who consumed more than 817 mg of caffeine per day had a three-fold greater risk of hip fracture (a cup of coffee contains approximately 136 mg and a cup of tea, about 64 mg). There was no relationship between caffeine intake and forearm fractures. Women who drank more than 25 grams (about two drinks) of alcohol per day had a two-fold greater risk of hip fracture and had a slightly greater risk of forearm fracture. It is concluded that caffeine and alcohol increase the risk of bone fractures in middle-aged women. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Bones, Alcohol, Caffeine, Ethanol, Fractures (Injuries), Fractures, Hip joint, Hip fractures, Wrist, Middle aged women, Wrist injuries

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Patterns of weight change and their relation to diet in a cohort of healthy women

Article Abstract:

Obesity results when a person consumes more calories than they expend for activity and basic metabolic processes. However, genetic and environmental factors affect this relationship between energy consumed and energy burned. The relationship between diet and weight change is complex, and excess calories from carbohydrates may be less easily stored as fat than excess calories from fatty foods. The Nurses' Health Study is a long-term survey of 121,700 female nurses. Relationships among diet, lifestyle factors, and weight change were assessed in a subset of these subjects. A group of 31,940 women who were aged 30 to 55 in 1976 were followed for eight years; all were nonsmokers. On average, the women reported a continuing weight gain over time, and the greater gains occurred in the younger women, aged 25 to 44. Also, women who had recently lost weight had greater weight gains. The body mass index is an index of obesity; higher values indicate more excess weight. Body mass index decreased with greater intakes of alcohol, fiber, carbohydrate, vegetable fat, vitamin C, carotene (vitamin A), and caffeine, while it increased with greater amounts of protein and animal fats in the diet. However, these dietary factors were not very strongly related to weight gain. The study concludes that specific dietary components are not strongly correlated with weight gain, but younger age and recent weight loss are significant risk factors for weight gain in adult women. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Surveys, Diet, Body weight

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Dietary predictors of symptom-associated gallstones in middle-aged women

Article Abstract:

Diet has long been suspected as an influence in the development of cholesterol gallstones, but its role in the disorder has not been studied well. The occurrence of gallstones was evaluated in a population of 88,837 registered nurses, all female, who completed questionnaires about nutrient intake before gallstones were found. During the four-year follow-up period, surgery to remove gallstones was performed on 433 women, and 179 women developed gallstones that were not removed. Increasing risk of gallstones was associated with increasing weight in the group, and weight gain was also a risk factor. Excess calories were a positive risk factor, while alcohol intake was observed to reduce risk, but these factors were more important in nonobese women. After adjustment for energy intake, the only dietary components that correlated with the occurrence of gallstones were vegetable fat, vegetable protein, and total fiber: high intake of these foods were associated with a lowered risk of gallstones. Fiber was more important among obese women, while the vegetable fat and protein were more important among nonobese women. Possibly, vegetable fat and protein altered cholesterol utilization or otherwise influenced gallstone formation. The study indicates that compared with the effect of obesity itself, diet plays a relatively minor role in the processes underlying gallstone development. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Research, Gallstones, Nutritionally induced diseases, Nutrition disorders

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