Vitamin K2 for bones and arteries: strong marketing, thin trial evidence
Supplement makers sell K2 (menaquinone) for stronger bones and cleaner arteries. The observational signal is real; the randomised trials, so far, mostly are not.
Is sparkling water bad for you? What the evidence shows
Plain fizzy water hydrates about as well as still water and is far less corrosive to teeth than juice or soft drinks. The cautions are narrow: flavoured versions and cola, not carbonation itself.
Signs of vitamin D deficiency, and why most adults are told to skip the routine test
Real deficiency shows as bone pain, muscle weakness or, in children, rickets. But US surveys suggest most people meet their needs, and both a 2011 and a 2024 review advise against routine testing in healthy adults.
A bone-building drug did not speed pelvic fracture healing
Abaloparatide reliably raises bone density, so it seemed a natural candidate to help fractures knit. A randomised trial found no benefit — and healing numerically favoured placebo.
Is it normal to shrink with age? Some loss is — but rapid loss is a warning sign
Losing a little height with age is expected. But marked loss tracks real risk: men who lost 3 cm or more had 45% higher mortality, and women who lost over 5 cm had roughly 50% higher hip-fracture risk.
Osteoporosis in men is under-recognised, and the deadliest fractures fall on them
Men break fewer bones than women but die more often after a hip fracture. No major body recommends screening every man, and the US task force says the evidence is simply not there yet.
US task force reaffirms bone-density screening for women 65 and older
The 2025 USPSTF statement keeps a B recommendation for women 65+ and for higher-risk younger postmenopausal women. The fracture benefit is real but small, and evidence gaps remain.
Dairy prevented fractures in one large trial and nothing in the cohort data. Both hold.
Adding milk, yoghurt and cheese cut hip fractures 46% in Australian aged-care residents. In the general over-50 population, dietary calcium intake shows no association with fracture risk at all.
A DXA body-fat Z-score flagged twice as many athletes with absent periods as BMI did
In 388 female athletes, a per cent fat Z-score below −1.0 more than doubled sensitivity for amenorrhoea against standard BMI thresholds. It gave up specificity to do it.