Healthnotes Newswire (November 21, 2007)—Tea is the most popular beverage in the world, and tea drinking is widely thought to be a healthy habit, linked to lower risks of heart disease and cancer. Now research shows that older women who drink tea have stronger bones that are better preserved over time.
Healthnotes Newswire (August 2, 2007)—Good news for women looking for ways to keep their bones strong: an ingredient in soy may improve bone mineral density. A new study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that 54 mg per day of genistein, a type of isoflavone, had positive effects on bone mineral density in postmenopausal women with mild loss of bone density (osteopenia).
Healthnotes Newswire (June 21, 2007)—Women who take the herb black cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa) are less likely to get breast cancer, according to new research published in the International Journal of Cancer.
“With the serious health concerns that have been raised about the use of estrogen and progestin-containing hormone replacement therapy in recent years, many women have turned to complementary-alternative medicines to alleviate symptoms of menopause,” said Timothy R. Rebbeck, PhD, professor of Epidemiology in the Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology at the University of Pennsylvania and lead author of the new study. “The long-range effects of these compounds have not been studied. Ours is the first report that black cohosh confers a degree of protection from breast cancer, which represents a potentially important piece of information for women who take, or who might consider taking, these compounds.”
