After menopause, estrogen falls and many women lose bone. An estimated 1 in 3 women over 50 will have a fracture from bone loss in their lifetime. A new study asked if heart disease risk is linked to these fractures.
The research, in The Lancet Regional Health – Americas, used the American Heart Association’s PREVENT score, developed in 2024, to estimate 10-year cardiovascular risk. More than 21,000 women from the Women’s Health Initiative were put into four groups: low, borderline, intermediate and high risk.
The study found the strongest link with hip fractures. Women in the high-risk group had a 93% higher hip fracture risk and the intermediate group had a 33% higher risk. The link was stronger for women under 65, and median time to hip fracture was shorter in the high-risk group.
Difficult words
- menopause — time when menstrual periods stop
- estrogen — a female hormone made by the ovaries
- fracture — a break in a bone from injury or weaknessfractures, hip fracture, hip fractures
- cardiovascular — related to the heart and blood vessels
- median — the middle value in a group of numbers
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- Do you think women should check heart disease risk after menopause? Why or why not?
- Have you or someone you know had a bone fracture after age 50? What happened?
- What health checks would you suggest for women over 50 to protect their bones?
Related articles
Exercise helps reduce 'chemo brain' during chemotherapy
Researchers tested a home exercise program during chemotherapy and found patients who followed it kept daily activity and reported clearer thinking. The trial compared a six-week exercise plan with standard care during treatment.
Study: Industrial Revolution pollution affected people unevenly in England
A study in Science Advances used bones and historical records to track pollution exposure during the Industrial Revolution. Researchers analysed remains from 94 people in industrial South Shields and rural Barton-upon-Humber and found uneven, gendered exposure.
Brothers build magnetic system to remove arsenic
Arsenic in Indian groundwater causes serious health problems. Two brothers from Bihar developed METAL, a chemical-free magnetic way to clean water and built the MARU unit; their startup Navmarg has treated over 300,000 litres and plans sensors and AI.
Tanzania fights rabies with mass dog vaccination
Tanzania is working to stop human rabies by vaccinating dogs, improving surveillance and keeping vaccines cold. High vaccine costs, remote villages and lack of electricity remain challenges, but local and international efforts are growing.
New PET study links brain markers in Parkinson’s disease
Researchers used PET scans to compare two brain markers — dopamine transporters and synaptic density — in people with Parkinson’s and healthy volunteers. The study shows the usual link between markers breaks down in Parkinson’s.