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More than 40 million adults in the United States ages 50 and older have osteopenia, which can progress to osteoporosis. Strength training is recommended to reduce the risk of bone loss and keep muscles healthy as we age, and many older adults are eating healthy protein to support building muscle. Now post-menopausal women with low bone density have another tool to prevent osteoporosis, as NPR’s Allison Aubrey reports — a piece of wearable tech that delivers gentle vibrations to the spine and hips.
The device, called the Osteoboost, is FDA approved for post-menopausal women with osteopenia. The device itself sits on the sacrum, held in place with a belt that wraps around the hips — like a fanny pack worn in reverse. The low-magnitude vibrations produce mechanical signals similar to those generated when muscles contract, stimulating bone-building cells called osteoblasts. Chief medical officer Dr. Pamela Peeke recommends wearing Osteoboost for 30 minutes a day, in combination with gentle upright exercise, like running on an elliptical or walking.
Andrea Bloom, 59, of Pleasanton, Calif., says she wears her Osteoboost every morning while walking her dog. Her doctor prescribed the device after a bone density scan. "When I saw my results, it was pretty shocking because I was one-tenth of a point away from an osteoporosis diagnosis," she says. Bloom's most recent bone density scan showed significant improvements. She’s also made changes to her diet and added more exercise to her routine.
In a clinical trial of women 50 and older, the Osteoboost was tested against a “sham” device that just emitted a buzzing sound instead of delivering the targeted vibration. "The placebo group lost 2.84% of their bone strength over the course of the year. Those who received the vibration therapy lost only 0.5%," says Mike Jaasma, one of Osteoboost's founders.
The Osteoboost hasn’t been studied in men yet. The company says on their website that they hope to begin a clinical trial for men soon. If you’re interested in being involved in a trial, you can fill out this form.
Vibration therapy isn’t brand-new. "The original vibration plate was developed through funding from NASA to come up with a therapy that astronauts could use in space to fend off the effects of zero gravity on bone loss," says Jaasma. You may have seen wellness influencers on social media jiggling atop vibrating plates that look like souped-up bathroom scales — which are said to promote weight loss, pain relief, lymphatic drainage and more. But evidence supporting their benefits is limited — at least when it comes to bone health.
Dr. Eric Ascher, a primary care physician at Northwell Health in New York, says vibration devices should be considered an add-on, not a replacement, for bone-health habits: weight-bearing exercise, adequate calcium and vitamin D, good sleep and good nutrition.
Learn more about vibration therapy for bone and muscle health.
Plus: Many older people love slow strength training. Does it work? |
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Several recent studies suggest GLP-1 obesity treatments also help reduce cancer risk – and not just for cancers related to obesity, as NPR’s Yuki Noguchi reports.
One study tracked medical and prescription records of over 10,000 patients with early-stage cancer, and found GLP-1s reduced cancer risk in 6 out of 7 cancers. Breast, liver, colorectal and non-small cell lung cancer risks declined significantly. For non-small cell lung cancer, for example, people who took a GLP-1 were about 12% less likely to develop Stage IV disease compared to people who did not take GLP-1 drugs.
Another data analysis matched mammogram images to a prescription database, showing women between age 45 and 80 who took GLP-1 drugs were 30% less likely to develop breast cancer. Cancer risks decline in general when patients lose weight, but "The weight loss alone just didn't account for the magnitude of the observed effect," says Elizabeth McDonald, a radiologist at the University of Pennsylvania who co-authored the study.
The evidence shows correlation, not a causal link. McDonald suspects that GLP-1 medicines may trigger metabolic pathways in the body that scientists aren’t yet aware of. For instance they may reduce inflammation, which is a known driver of cancer.
Researchers are starting to investigate how GLP-1s interact with the immune system, influencing things like inflammation and immune suppression. Oncologist Coral Omene at Rutgers Cancer Institute plans to follow 40 breast cancer patients starting tirzepatide, a GLP-1 drug sold under the brand names Mounjaro and Zepbound. During the study Omene plans to take regular blood samples and biopsy abdominal fat cells periodically. "And as we're treating them, we are going to trace and see how the immune cells are behaving," Omene says.
Learn more about recent research on GLP-1s and cancer.
Plus: More Americans are surviving cancer. But the psychological impacts can persist for years |
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White House response to hantavirus and Ebola contrasts with COVID criticisms
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The socioeconomic conditions in children' s neighborhoods influence brain development, a new study suggests |
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We hope you enjoyed these stories. Find more of NPR's health journalism online.
All the best,
Andrea Muraskin and your NPR Health editors |
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