Preventing soft bones early in life may help but later on it may not work. That's the conclusion of two articles published in the British medical journal Lancet.
Doctors in England studied a large group of elderly men and women. All the patients already had soft bones, known as osteoporosis. The researchers treated some of the patients with calcium and Vitamin D supplement. The other group did not get the supplement.
Unfortunately, the calcium and Vitamin D supplements didn't seem to help. Folks who had already broken a broken and those at high risk for hip fractures had the same fracture rate with and without supplements.
So, if you want to prevent soft bones start early in life. See your doctor, go over your risk factors and ask about a bone density scan. Weight-bearing exercise and a dietary supplement like calcium do work if you start early in life.
For older folks who already have soft bones, drugs like the bisphosponates make more sense ... and work better.
