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Second-Hand Smoke Hikes Osteoporosis Risk

August 9, 2006

Osteoporosis • Aspirin May Prevent Osteoporosis • Researchers Accuse Pharmas of 'Disease Mongering' • Calcium Supplements May Increase Older Women's Heart Risk • Dietary Calcium Protects Bones Better than Supplements • Older Adults Vulnerable to Refractures • Women May Be Able to Take a Break From Osteoporosis Drug • Second-Hand Smoke Hikes Osteoporosis Risk • Study: Young Women Don't Get Enough Calcium • Common Blood Thinner Increases Risk of Bone Fracture • Magnesium May Prevent Osteoporosis • Risk Factors for Osteoporosis

Dramatic results from a mainland China study have confirmed the association between inhaling second-hand smoke and increasing your risk of contracting the bone disease osteoporosis.

BBC News reports that a study presented at a recent meeting of the International Osteoporosis Foundation meeting in Toronto showed that pre-menopausal women tripled their chances of getting osteoporosis if they were regularly exposed to passive smoking, and even men -- whose osteoporosis rate is four times less -- increased their risk.

The study, conducted by a team of scientists from the Harvard School of Public Health, examined 14,000 men and women in rural China who lived with at least one person who smoked every day.

They found that a pre-menopausal woman who lived with one smoker doubled her osteoporosis risk. If she lived with two more more smokers, the risk tripled, BBC News reports. The women also had a 2.6 times greater risk for a non-spine fracture, compared to non-smokers, the researchers found.

An estimated 10 million Americans suffer from osteoporosis, as well as another 18 million who have low bone mass. If calcium intake is not sufficient, osteoporosis may result. And while it is most often associated with post-menopausal women, more and more research indicates osteoporosis can occur much earlier in life.

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