“Don’t tell a story without making a point. Every point deserves a story.”
The story of Bone and Body Women’s Health started years ago with my training at the Cleveland Clinic. I learned from mentors how multi-disciplinary care with specialists in women’s health led to women receiving superior care.
The central mission of our practice is to help women experience perimenopause and menopause (and beyond) with more awareness and solutions leading to better quality and quantity of life. That is my story.
But the stories of my patients bring me joy. They remind me why this work is so important at the local and national level.
We are excited to celebrate our practice’s 2nd anniversary in July, and we thank you for being part of our practice and the menopause revolution.
Practice updates:
Our July member event will be a tasty one! Join local expert and registered dietician Sheryl Gray as she teaches how to make a Mediterranean style dinner and dessert on Wednesday July 23rd from 5-6 PM at Am Shalom temple kitchen in Glencoe. Look for an invitation in your email and Spruce inbox. RSVP to Susan before July 18th please.
Dr. DeSapri will be on vacation from July 27th to August 3rd enjoying some family beach time. Of course, you can reach us but the office will be closed.
Dr. DeSapri in the news:
In case you missed it, here is my recording with Dr. Mary Claire Haver. We touched on many hot topics from menopause to bone health.
You’re a doctor, right? In this podcast we hash out perimenopause and menopause with Dr. Sonya Bohoe, a local Northwestern Breast radiologist.
Midlife must know… What’s up with the weighted vest?
What we know:
The weighted vest is becoming a fashionable wearable exercise tool.
Adding weight or resistance to any exercise can stimulate muscle activation and greater impact or loading on the lumber spine and lower extremities. But how much weight and how often to wear a vest it is not well researched. It’s not well known how weight loss will impact muscle and bone health. There are theories that 10% of weight loss corresponds with 1-2% of bone mineral density loss.
What’s good to know?
This study called INVEST enrolled 150 people with medically defined obesity (BMI > 30) of which 75% were women and average age was 66 yrs. Overall 48% had low bone mass or osteopenia. They were randomized to 3 groups: Weight loss (caloric restriction targeting 10% WL with adequate calcium, vitamin D, and protein), WL plus weighted vest (WL+VEST for 8 h/d), or WL plus progressive resistance training (WL+RT; supervised 3 sessions weekly) The outcome measured was volumetric bone mineral density (BMD) in the hip at 12 months. The results showed there was no statistically significant difference in hip BMD across the groups. They all lost BMD with the average of 9-11% body weight loss. All groups experienced similar and statistically significant total body lean mass loss of 1.5-1.9% at 12 months. This was much less than what is expected when controlling for the amount of weight loss.
What does this mean for me?
Weighted vests are a growing trend with limited evidence. There are a few small studies (think less than 30 women) yielding mildly beneficial results in bone mass, particularly for women wearing vests for 3 hours or more (1 hr. sessions of walking, balance, stair climbing.) Wearing a vest that is 10% of your body mass while walking was shown to increase the skeletal loading to make an impact bone density. If you want to purchase a vest, I would start with 5-10% of your body mass, ensure the weight is evenly distributed and if you have osteoporosis, I recommend an evaluation before you begin.
Lastly, if you live in the Midwest, summer is here and we are (finally!) enjoying bright mornings and longer days dotted with celebrations, reunions, camp send offs and summer travel. We hope your summer brings some adventures, relaxation and scoop of ice cream (100 mg of calcium for ½ cup!).
Hope to see you soon!
Dr. Kristi Tough DeSapri