Academic suggests way to avoid osteoporosis
“dem bones, dem dry bones….”
Professor BEC Norton, chairman of the SA Health Department working party on vitamin D falls and hip fractures, has said that the Prime
Minister’s osteoporosis screening and drug treatment is too late in a
woman’s life cycle to prevent osteoporosis.
He has pointed out that osteoporosis is preventable if a woman has a
sufficient, increased, calcium intake after menopause.
He suggests that free bone density tests should be available at age 50
rather than 70, and if women at highest risks took sufficient extra
calcium “there is a strong presumption that much of the millions of
dollars spent on expensive remedies in old people could be avoided”.
“Similarly, if blood vitamin D levels were measured at least once in
everyone over 65, and those with low values given vitamin D with
calcium, there is a strong presumption that the high rate of hip
fractures in old people with vitamin D deficiency would be reduced.”
Professor Norton suggests that because vitamin D and calcium “are too
cheap to attract the interest of the pharmaceutical industry except as
add-ons to more expensive remedies… the public health authorities
should step in.”
He concluded by pointing out that the Federal Government took calcium
off the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme for osteoporosis against the
advice of its own advisory committee.
