Depression Appears to Increase Risk of Brittle Bones, Study Finds
From Times staff and wire reports
Depressed women appear to have an abnormally high risk of developing osteoporosis, or brittle bones, according to a new study in the Oct. 17 New England Journal of Medicine. The researchers used X-ray technology to measure bones in 24 clinically depressed women whose average age was 41. Their backbones were 6% less dense and their hipbones 10% to 14% less dense than those of 24 women of the same age without depression. Such bone deficiency makes a hip fracture 40% more likely, said the researchers, led by Dr. David Michelson of the National Institute of Mental Health. They speculate that hormone imbalances associated with depression may trigger the bone loss, but reduced physical activity may also be a factor.
