"Programs are being developed to measure bone mass density in adults, but we have to start earlier because changing people's lifestyles is difficult. In this sense, educational work is needed in schools so that adolescents eat foods rich in calcium and develop physical exercise habits that help increase bone mass at development". This was the opinion of Roberto Civitelli, Professor of Medicine at Washington University in St. Louis (USA), who gave a lecture at lecture at the University of Navarra.

This expert in osteoporosis, a disease characterized by the loss of bone mass that mainly affects older women, came to the University of Navarra invited by the School of Medicine, on the occasion of the congress of the International Society of Bone Metabolism held in Madrid.

Roberto Civitelli, who works in one of the leading American centers in the research of osteoporosis, made it clear that "it is not only a women's disease, but also affects men in advanced age and, as is done with women, prevention programs must be promoted".

He also pointed out that it is a disease that entails very high costs for healthcare systems. "In the U.S., the cost of hospitalization and treatment of fractures amounts to $15 billion. The most problematic are hip fractures, because they always require hospitalization."

Estrogen treatment associated with breast cancer

"There are several ways to prevent osteoporosis," he said. The first has to do with lifestyle: "You have to exercise, and today many people prefer to sit in front of the TV or the computer". Secondly, one should drink a calcium-containing per diem expenses : "People very often drink beverages with caffeine and sodium, two substances that cause a loss of calcium in the body. In this sense, up to the age of 65 it is advisable to take at least 1,000 milligrams of calcium a day, about three glasses of milk, and 1,500 milligrams after the age of 65".

Third, there are the drugs. "There are several categories: estrogens, hormones that have been the only treatment that has fought osteoporosis until very recently, especially in women after menopause; bisphosphonates, a new generation of drugs that fight the destruction of bone calcium and are very effective; and selective estrogen receptor modulators, which have the benefits of estrogens, but not their adverse effects". The doctor stressed that although estrogens are safe for at least 10 to 15 years, they can lead to a slight increase in the incidence of breast cancer.

Roberto Civitelli said that a new drug will appear on the market at the end of the year or early next year. "It is parathyroid hormone, which, when administered intermittently, has a very powerful bone training effect. It is the only drug that stimulates bone training ; it is for bone loss, but it does not form bone. It is indicated in cases of severe osteoporosis".

Finally, he emphasized that "in the last three years there has been a very important advance B in the field of bone biology: a new molecule has been discovered that acts as a signal between the cells that form bone and those that destroy it, which will be very important for developing new therapies. We have also discovered new molecules that stimulate bone formation training and we can develop new drugs that help these cells to form bone".