by Sheldon S. Zinberg, M.D.

Okay!!  We've been told time and time again that vitamin D helps to prevent osteoporosis and fractures. Then again we've been told that vitamin D doesn't prevent osteoporosis and fractures. Confusion, confusion, and more confusion. When will we doctors get it right?

It’s clear that vitamin D is important for good bone health, but don’t we get enough? How and where do we get it? Aren’t many of our foods fortified with vitamin D to help ensure an adequate intake? Yeah, they might help, but not enough. For the most part, vitamin D is manufactured by our skin as a result of exposure to sunlight. But wait a minute! We’re told to avoid getting too much sunlight because this could result in the development of skin cancer…It’s true. So we put on sunscreen and we avoid too much sun exposure and then what happens?? We might avoid skin cancer, but we don't get enough vitamin D.

by Sheldon S. Zinberg, M.D.

Brittle Bones = OSTEOPOROSIS

So what is Osteoporosis? It’s a loss of bone mass and bone mineral density. It affects a lot of us older folks, both men and women. It starts earlier and is more severe in women. That’s why, when we get older, many of us will get shorter and suffer serious fractures. Falls and fractures are actually a greater risk factor than obesity in the elderly.An example: In the USA, there are about 30,000 to 35,000 deaths related to hip fractures each year—and more than 20,000 of them occur in post-menopausal women.

The Anatomy of Bone

by Sheldon S. Zinberg, M.D.

Almost all of us already know that certain fats can be harmful to our health. We’ve all been told that we eat too much red meat…Indeed the scientific literature is full of studies  showing that saturated fats and trans-fats actually promote cardiovascular disease...like heart attacks and strokes. On the other hand, we’re told that there are healthy fats we should be getting from eating fish, chicken, and vegetables and that these actually can help prevent cardiovascular disease…These are the polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats. But now, recent studies suggest that certain fats can do more than predispose us to heart attacks---they can play dirty tricks on our minds.

by Sheldon S. Zinberg, M.D.

So, who is the “Boogie Man?”  It’s the development of illness or a worsening of your illness aggravated by a lack of socialization, communication, involvement; and in many cases, downright depression. That’s the Boogie Man.  Oh, I know some of us older folks think that it’s a lot of bunk…this constant talk about depression and a lack of socialization, but it really isn’t. Recent studies in the Archives of Internal Medicine have shown that some of us older folks have to “get out there more.”  People with a chronic disease who live alone were 25% more likely to die from the illness and 27% more likely to die from any cause than those of us with ties to family, friends, and community.

by Sheldon S. Zinberg, M.D.

Well folks…there are those of us who can’t get a good night’s sleep if we drink too much caffeinated coffee and some of us get anxious or even palpitations when we drink anything that has caffeine in it (coffee, tea, sodas, etc). So, many of us coffee lovers are relegated to drinking the unleaded (decaffeinated coffee). According to some authorities, it’s even believed that women who drink too much caffeinated coffee (3 or more cups a day) might have a higher risk of developing breast cancer.  However, there’s something good to be said about drinking coffee – leaded or unleaded – probably because of all of the antioxidants it contains.