BODY : RESEARCH TRIES TO LINK ZINC LEVEL, OSTEOPOROSIS.Byline: Suzanne Zolfo Medical Tribune News Service Doctors have uncovered a simple test for the bone loss that often is associated with the development of osteoporosis, a new study reveals. The new test - which measures levels of zinc in the urine - offers an advantage over many current tests for bone loss, which can be influenced by a person's diet, the researchers said. In the study of 37 postmenopausal post·men·o·paus·al adj. Of or occurring in the time following menopause. postmenopausal Change of life Gynecology adjective Referring to the time in ♀ when menstrual periods stop for ≥ 1 yr women, elevated levels of zinc in the urine decreased after several months of estrogen-replacement therapy, reported Mala mala /ma·la/ (ma´lah) [L.] 1. cheek. 2. zygomatic bone. mala /ma·la/ (mu´lah Herzberg and her team of researchers at Tel Aviv University Tel Aviv University (TAU, אוניברסיטת תל־אביב, את"א) is Israel's largest on-site university. in Israel. In some of the patients, the decrease in urine zinc levels correlated with an increase in bone density, suggesting that increased zinc levels may be a useful marker for bone loss and osteoporosis, Herzberg said. After menopause menopause (mĕn`əpôz) or climacteric (klīmăk`tərĭk, klī'măktĕr`ĭk) , women stop producing estrogen. Estrogen-replacement therapy is often prescribed to relieve the hot flashes hot flashes Hot flush Gynecology A symptom afflicting 80-85% of middle-aged ♀, first occurring during the perimenopause, continuing with ↓ intensity for yrs, manifesting itself as transient waves of erythema and uncomfortable warmth beginning in the and other discomforts of menopause; it also is thought to protect against the bone-thinning disease osteoporosis and heart disease. ``Elevated zinc excretion excretion, process of eliminating from an organism waste products of metabolism and other materials that are of no use. It is an essential process in all forms of life. In one-celled organisms wastes are discharged through the surface of the cell. occurs not only in elderly women with established osteoporosis, but also in younger, healthy women in early menopause,'' Herzberg wrote. ``These findings may help better identify women who are in need of suitable treatment, and may be useful in predicting osteoporosis and evaluating response to therapy after three to six months,'' she said. Urine levels of calcium and magnesium also predicted bone loss in the women, the study showed. But whereas these levels were influenced by the women's diets, urine zinc levels were not, Herzberg said. The study was published in the June issue of the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology obstetrics and gynecology Medical and surgical specialty concerned with the management of pregnancy and childbirth and with the health of the female reproductive system. . But not everybody agrees with the findings. Measuring zinc levels would have no advantage over currently used laboratory tests, such as those that measure levels of calcium in the urine, said Dr. Khashayar Sakhaee, professor of medicine at the Robert T. Hayes Center for Mineral Metabolism Research at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. Although the researchers claim otherwise, ``zinc in urine is affected by the diet, definitely,'' he said. |
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