Big-boned Swedish women surprise researchers
Researchers have been surprised to find that Swedish women have more powerful bones than their American counterparts.
When researchers at Uppsala University Hospital examined the bone mass of a random sample of 335 Uppsala women between the ages of 20 and 39, they were not expecting the locals to be so big-boned
"Considering the fact that Swedish women are at the top of world rankings for hip fractures later in life, we thought their bone mass would be considerably lower," Eva Ribom, physiotherapist and researcher, told Upsala Nya Tidning.
The study, published in the latest issue of the Journal of Clinical Densitometry, showed that the bone mass of Swedish women's femur necks was five percent higher than that of American women.
"Our new results suggest that there must be other factors behind the high rate of fractures in Sweden. We are currently examining the hypothesis in an international study that old people in Sweden injure themselves more in falls than old people in other countries," said Eva Ribom.
Comments
See Also
When researchers at Uppsala University Hospital examined the bone mass of a random sample of 335 Uppsala women between the ages of 20 and 39, they were not expecting the locals to be so big-boned
"Considering the fact that Swedish women are at the top of world rankings for hip fractures later in life, we thought their bone mass would be considerably lower," Eva Ribom, physiotherapist and researcher, told Upsala Nya Tidning.
The study, published in the latest issue of the Journal of Clinical Densitometry, showed that the bone mass of Swedish women's femur necks was five percent higher than that of American women.
"Our new results suggest that there must be other factors behind the high rate of fractures in Sweden. We are currently examining the hypothesis in an international study that old people in Sweden injure themselves more in falls than old people in other countries," said Eva Ribom.
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.