This month's Bulletin highlights the importance of maintaining a healthy weight and carefully choosing the foods you eat.

First, we'll look at a new drug in development aimed at reducing both obesity and osteoporosis. It involves a first-of-its-kind monoclonal antibody that blocks a hormone.

The link between osteoporosis and obesity is underscored by the second item on our Bulletin. This research used 25 years of data to show the effects of obesity on hip fracture risk.

Finally, we'll turn to a study that reinforces the dietary guidelines of the Osteoporosis Reversal Program. Researchers have found that eating too many refined grains can lead to serious heart problems.

New Drug In Development To Prevent Obesity And Osteoporosis

Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai are developing a drug that they believe would strengthen bone, enhance metabolism, prevent obesity, and lower cholesterol.

The drug takes the form of a monoclonal antibody that blocks a pituitary hormone called follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH).

Relevant Excerpt

“It has become increasingly clear that obesity and osteoporosis track together clinically. Women, when they undergo menopause, lose bone and gain body fat. FSH, which rises at menopause, could be responsible for the weight gain and bone loss that many women experience in their middle ages.”

“Mouse-based data that Drs. Zaidi and Rosen concurrently confirmed in each other’s laboratories showed that blocking FSH reduces obesity and increases energy expenditure in both male and female mice fed on a high-fat diet. In the most recent study, researchers explain the development of a “humanized” monoclonal antibody to block FSH signaling.”¹

This isn't the first time that new research has claimed to be on the verge of a wonder-drug that will magically take the place of a healthy lifestyle. But Savers know that nothing can replicate the positive impacts of a healthy diet and regular exercise.

The Save Institute does not recommend tampering with hormones.

Our bodies are intricate systems. Artificially blocking the signaling pathways of hormones can have an unknown array of harmful consequences.

Synopsis

Researchers are developing a new drug that blocks a pituitary hormone called follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). They postulate that this drug can strengthen bone, prevent obesity, and lower cholesterol. The potential negative impacts are unknown as of yet.

Study links obesity and risk of hip fracture in postmenopausal women

A new study published in the journal Osteoporosis International found that obese women have an increased risk of hip fracture earlier than normal-weight women.

The study followed 12,715 women over the course of 25 years. Researchers measured participants' body mass index (BMI) from the ages of 58 to 70 and also gathered fracture and mortality data. Then they analyzed the association between BMI and the risk of hip fracture, up until the age of 83.

In this study, normal-weight was considered a BMI of 25 or less, overweight as 25-29.9, and obesity as 30 or over.

Relevant Excerpt

“As expected, the risk of hip fracture increased with age in all of the groups; however, the risk of early hip fracture increased faster in obese women, and slower in overweight women, than in others.

In obese women, the probability of hip fracture was at 1% already at the age of 66.7, while in overweight women the 1% probability was reached 5.1 years later, at the age of 71.8. Obese women had a 2% probability of hip fracture 2.1 years earlier than overweight women, and a 4% probability 1.3 years earlier.

The differences between the groups became smaller with ageing. In obese women, hip fracture related mortality in five years after the incident was approximately 1.5 times higher than in others.”²

This data further confirms the importance of maintaining a healthy weight. Not only did obesity raise the risk of fracture earlier in life, but it also increased the likelihood that a hip fracture would lead to an early death.

Synopsis

A study that compared body mass index (BMI) to fracture risk over time found that obese women had a higher risk of fracture earlier in life than women whose weight was normal or were overweight.

Refined Grains Linked To Deadly Heart Conditions

A study has linked consuming too many refined grains to an increased risk of stroke and early death.

The researchers examined diet and health data from 130,000 participants in 21 countries over the course of 16 years. They compared the servings of refined grains the participants ate each day to health events such as heart disease, stroke, and early death.

The category of refined grains includes anything produced with white flour. White bread, cereals, pasta, noodles, bakery pastries, and many desserts are sources of refined grains.

Relevant Excerpt

“Their results reveal consuming over seven servings of refined grains each day raises the risk of premature death by 27 percent. The chances of developing heart disease increases 33 percent and the risk of suffering a stroke skyrockets by 47 percent.”

The study also looked at the daily intake of whole grains and white rice. Unlike refined flour, researchers did not find any link between these two categories of grains and cardiovascular issues.

Whole grains include grain flours such as buckwheat. They also encompass intact and cracked whole grain products like steel-cut oats. Study authors suggest choosing foods like brown rice and barley to get your daily recommended amount of grains.”³

Once again, research supports the link between dietary choices and health. This is further proof that the Osteoporosis Reversal Program's diet offers an integrative approach to bone health and overall health.

Grains are acidifying. So when you follow the ORP's 80/20 pH-balanced diet, your consumption of refined grains is automatically limited to 20% or less of your diet. And by choosing whole grains instead of refined ones, you benefit your body, heart, and bones even further.

Synopsis

A study found that consuming seven servings of refined grains each day raises the risk of premature death by 27%, heart disease by 33%, and stroke by 47%. Make sure you consume whole-grain foods instead of refined grains.

What This Means To You

Maintaining a healthy weight, limiting your intake of refined grains, and preventing fractures are interlocking goals. They're all supported by the Osteoporosis Reversal Program's 80/20 pH-balanced diet.

Combined with regular bone-building exercise, this natural approach to bone health results in strong bones without the dangers of osteoporosis drugs. Keep learning how to lead a life that supports your bones, your wellness, and your future at every turn.

References

¹ https://www.mountsinai.org/about/newsroom/2020/mount-sinai-researchers-develop-a-firstinclass-humanized-antibody-targeting-bone-and-fat-pr

² https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-12/uoef-oit120120.php

³ https://www.studyfinds.org/refined-grains-heart-disease-risk/