A new study has discovered that anxiety could cause bone loss among older women. Worrying apparently raises the risk of weakened bones and fracture among those in the menopausal age, the study warned.
Bone health is crucial among older women since they start to lose bone density due to the dramatic changes in their body's hormone levels. But in an analysis of previous data culled from 200 postmenopausal women from Italy, experts also discovered the link between anxiety and bone health.
"Our findings are quite surprising because an association between anxiety levels and bone health was not reported before," study author Dr. Antonino Catalano explained in the press release.The same study also showed that anxiety raises the risk of gastrointestinal problems and heart disease in older women.
Catalano further explained that women with anxiety often exhibit poor health because of sleeplessness, an unhealthy diet and smoking. These habits trigger the body to release more stress hormones called cortisol and deplete the body's absorption of Vitamin D, thus affecting bone health.
The experts learned that the most anxious women in their study had lower Vitamin D levels and lower bone density. They also had three percent more hip fracture incidents and four percent more bone fracture accidents within a period of 10 years.
One way to reduce bone loss problems is to change poor health habits by quitting smoking or drinking, staying active and eating a healthy diet of foods rich in vitamin D. Experts also recommend taking calcium and magnesium supplements daily to maintain bone strength.
"Women reach peak bone mass around age 35," co-study author Dr. JoAnn Pinkerton noted. "So it becomes important for perimenopausal women and menopausal women to get adequate amounts of calcium."
Pinkerton also recommended that women under stress enlist in self-calming therapy like yoga, counseling, or medication, if necessary. In extreme cases, menopausal women might also want to consider hormone therapy to alleviate the symptoms of menopause, including stress.
The study has been published in the journal Menopause.
