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Prevention: Of Men, Estrogen and Brittle Bones December 26, 2000 - After menopause, it is common for women to begin taking estrogen to prevent osteoporosis, the potentially disabling disease characterized by bone loss. But should men follow suit? A new study by Mayo Clinic researchers, published in this month's Journal of Clinical Investigation, reports that loss of estrogen, the dominant sex hormone in women, also appears to play a major role in bone deterioration in men. Although testosterone, the so-called male hormone, was also found to play a role in preventing bone resorption, as bone breakdown is known, estrogen proved to be important as well. The researchers, led by Dr. Sundeep Khosla, an endocrinologist, studied 59 elderly men and called the findings surprisingly clear. Less clear is what to do about them if they are confirmed. A straight course of estrogen therapy for men would be a problem, because of its feminizing effects, like breast enlargement. But other treatments may provide an estrogenlike effect on the skeleton without the side effects, the researchers said. Resorption occurs throughout life, the researchers said, and in people's younger years the bones are replenished. But in women, estrogen drops off sharply after menopause, leading to substantial risk of osteoporosis. In men, estrogen and testosterone taper off much more gradually, and testosterone had been assumed to be the more important of the two in regulating bone resorption. Copyright 2000 The New York Times Company http://www.nytimes.com/2000/12/26/science/26PREV.html janet paterson, an akinetic rigid subtype parkie 53 now /44 dx cd / 43 onset cd /41 dx pd / 37 onset pd TEL: 613 256 8340 SMAIL: POBox 171 Almonte Ontario K0A 1A0 Canada EMAIL: [log in to unmask] URL: http://www.geocities.com/janet313/