WINNIPEG, Manitoba, Aug 26, 2009 (UPI via COMTEX) -- A major decline in the
proportion of Canadians suffering hip fractures may be partly due to people
weighing more and having bigger buttocks, researchers say.
The additional weight provides more cushioning during falls, the researchers say
in a study published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical
Association.
"It's one of the interesting hypotheses," lead author Bill Leslie told the
Toronto Star. "Individuals who are underweight ... don't have that padding."
Leslie, a professor of medicine at the University of Manitoba, said the decline
in fractures began before the widespread availability of bone-density testing or
drugs treating osteoporosis.
Since 1985, the hip-fracture rate across Canada declined about 32 percent in
women and 25 percent in men, with the biggest drop from 1996-2005, the study
found.
The rates dropped most among those ages 55-64.
The researchers didn't provide any corresponding figures for increases in weight
or buttocks widths but did note weight problems and obesity are epidemic these
days.
Better osteoporosis diagnosis, drug treatments and fall-prevention techniques
also have helped reduce fractures, Leslie said. A drop in smoking, which is
linked to osteoporosis, might also help explain the decline in hip fractures, he
said.
The researchers stressed the study does not advocate obesity as a hip-protection
strategy.
"Hip fractures continue to exert major effects on the population, and the
decreasing incidence rates are not grounds for complacency toward osteoporosis
prevention and treatment," the authors said in a statement.
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