Density Loss Not Always 'Brittle Bones' Predictor

[Guest guest]

Hipp, thanks for forwarding what "might be good news for those with osteo-whatever." I have questioned the benefit of taking supplemental calcium, so my attention was drawn to this statement from your email: "The study included 26 women within six months to five years after menopause. They received 5 milligrams of Actonel or a placebo daily for a year. None of them was given calcium supplements. After a year, the 12 women in the placebo group had significant deterioration of the microarchitecture of trabecular bone -- the structural network inside the bone -- despite having only a 3.3 percent decrease in lumbar spine BMD."

Obviously I'm going to get on the net and check out Actonel. But what really caught my eye was that none of them was given calcium supplements. Am I jumping the gun to conclude that "Hey, if you don't take calcium, you're going to need prescription drugs such as Actonel to save your bones????"

Suz