Calcium

Two months after a huge clinical trial concluded that calcium supplements don't do much to protect older women from bone fractures, a new study has found just the opposite. Or so it would appear. The paper released this week in the Archives of Internal Medicine said older women who consistently took calcium for five years had significantly fewer broken bones than those who did not. But in February, the Women's Health Initiative - a large government-sponsored study - reported that calcium supplements had little effect.

You know it like the Pledge of Allegiance: "Milk helps build strong teeth and bones." But does it really? Or, as nutrition researchers from Harvard and Cornell universities are radically suggesting: Have we all been duped by the dairy industry's slick, celebrity-driven "Got milk?" advertising campaign? Milk, the sacred cow of the American diet, is under attack and not just by animal-rights activists. Though federal dietary guidelines and most mainstream nutrition experts recommend that people age 9 and older drink three glasses of milk a day, researchers are examining the role of dairy in everything from rising osteoporosis rates, Type 1 diabetes and heart disease to breast, prostate and ovarian cancer.

The strawberries and citrus fruit that Joe Bartenfelder is unloading at the Waverly farmers' market this bitter cold Saturday morning come from far away. But his deep-green, tightly curled kale is from right here in Maryland. "It's still our kale," said Bartenfelder, who operates farms in Fullerton, in Baltimore County, and Preston, on the Eastern Shore, where this batch of kale was grown. "Which is unusual, since it is February." Even for kale, a cold-weather crop for which Maryland's climate is perfect, harvests past Thanksgiving Day are noteworthy.

We joke about it, but the reports that low-fat diets don't prevent cancer or heart disease and calcium supplements don't prevent osteoporosis set women back on their heels, I think. We all laughed that we were now free to reintroduce bacon cheeseburgers to our diets, but the truth is that something we had believed with the fervor of a religion had been discredited. We believed that we could prevent breast cancer and heart attacks by simply changing what we ate. We believed that we could prevent a crippling hip fracture in our old age by simply taking a pill every day. We believed that we had control of our health, and therefore our lives.

Defying years of conventional medical wisdom, researchers report that calcium and vitamin D pills regularly consumed by millions of woman provide limited protection from broken bones. The supplements seemed to reduce the risk of hip fractures in women over 60 who faithfully took them. But the pills did not reduce spine or wrist fractures, and increased the risk of kidney stones, researchers said. The study, published today in the New England Journal of Medicine, raises questions about the benefits of taking supplements to prevent osteoporosis, a condition marked by weakened bones and a heightened risk of fractures that commonly afflicts women after menopause.

1991: Expensive start to winter By mid-January, the county had spent about $200,000 - half of its snow removal budget - cleaning up after three snowstorms in the previous three weeks. Snow removal, maintenance and labor costs totaled about $182,000 for the Dec. 27, Jan. 7 and Jan. 11 storms. "The long-range forecast is for warmer-than-normal temperatures, but also more precipitation than normal," said Jim Irvin, the county public works director. "So it's anybody's guess as to what's going to happen."

Despite years of nagging about nutrition, people still aren't heeding the message about eating right, according to a major study of the nation's diet. Americans need more calcium and fiber, more of vitamins A, C and E, and magnesium. The findings are part of the most comprehensive portrait yet of the nation's eating habits, a survey of 8,940 people done by a Beltsville-based branch of the federal Agricultural Research Service. They bear out what many experts have long been saying. "Americans still eat a lot of junk food," said Bonnie Liebman, director of nutrition at the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest.

In the warm days of summer, a flirty skirt worn with smooth bare legs is not only appropriate, it's also downright sexy. But as it gets cooler, sometimes that bared-leg look comes off as a little impractical. It's hard to be cute with legs covered in goose bumps. Instead of pantyhose or tights this fall, why not try a funky pair of long socks, which are not only warm, but one of the more fun sub-trends of the season. Knee-high socks worn with boots, flats, wedges and loafers are a whimsical way to show some fashion flair -- and keep your legs cozy and warm at the same time.

I have just developed a hissing sound in my ears. The onset was very rapid. The doctor diagnosed it as tinnitus, but would give me no reason for the problem. He said there wasn't anything I could do. I've noticed that some days it is less disturbing than others, but some nights it awakens me because it has become so loud. I was drinking large quantities of tonic water, which contains quinine, when this started. Do you have any suggestions to help me? Stop the tonic water! Quinine gives tonic its distinctive bitter flavor, but it can cause tinnitus, especially at high doses.

Is there a product containing both sunscreen and bug control (DEET) on the market? Are there any problems applying sunscreen and then 25 percent DEET spray? Several combination products with both insect repellent and sunscreen are available. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention doesn't recommend them because "sunscreen requires frequent applications while DEET should be used sparingly." Recent research shows another problem with such combination products (British Journal of Dermatology, June 2005)