WISENET Seminar on Women And Health
Summary by Diana Temple
Rebecca Mason, with assistance from fellow WISENET member Meloni Muir, arranged an excellent workshop-discussion meeting on women's health in Sydney on August 23. It was held in Rebecca's Department, Physiology, at Sydney University, in a splendid Victorian-era common room on a cold winter's evening. With plenty of questions and comment , it was a most enjoyable and informative session.
The topics and speakers were:-
Nutritional guidelines - Joanna McMillen
Joanna McMillen BSc (H1) is a researcher in the Human Nutrition Unit of the Biochemistry Department where she is completing a PhD. She is also a Registered Fitness Leader.
Joanna spoke of the significance of food intake to the Energy Balance Equation which controls our weight, and types of diet. Fat-free diets, high in carbohydrate, are unsuccessful, she said, because of modern human's inactivity. High protein diets may be successful, though not for vegetarians; they may work by lowering insulin levels. She spoke of the importance to women's health of calcium intake to inhibit osteoporososis, and iron, being best absorbed from meat. She recommended the book by her supervisor, Janette Brand Miller
Phytoestrogens - Dr Meloni Muir
Meloni Muir PhD is a member of Rebecca Mason's research team in the Physiology Department and is an ARC Post-Doctoral Fellow (Industry).
Meloni told us of plant oestrogens, with structural similarity to oestrogens (phenolic A-ring of oestradiol). Classified by chemical structure, they occur in soy products, chick peas, whole grains, sprouts, seeds, vegetables (carrots, onions, garlic), fruits (apples, pears), olive oil.
Such foods are beneficial to women as sources of oestrogenic activity, and there is some evidence thay may inhibit bone density loss. Meloni's work studies phytoestrogen effects on mineral uptake by components of bone in vitro.
Hormone replacement therapy - Dr Bronwyn Crawford
Bronwyn Crawford, MBBS, PhD, FRACP, is an endocrinologist at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital.
Bronwyn spoke of post-menopausal problems, which are osteoporosis, cardiovascular
disease (prime cause of death), Alzheimer's disease. All are helped by oestrogen (HRT).
The risk of fractures is serious with increasing bone brittleness (lifetime risk of death from hip fracture is 2.8 times that of breast cancer); HRT protects by > 50%. CV disease is promoted by smoking, high blood pressure and cholesterol, and by low oestrogen; HRT protects women from CV disease and lowers cholesterol. She spoke of HRT's disadvantages, particularly the slight increase in risk of breast cancer.
Bone turnover and osteoporosis - Dr Rebecca Mason
Rebecca Mason, PhD, MBBS, is an Associate Professor of Physiology and Deputy Director of the Institute for Biomedical Research.
Rebecca summarised the evening's themes, using a diagram of bone physiology. The balance between bone resorption and formation tends to resorption after age 20-35, when peak bone mass occurs; after menopause, bone resorption increases but is not matched with an increase in formation, so bone mass declines. The determinants for increased bone formation are: load-bearing exercise, increased oestrogen and adequate calcium intake and Vitamin D, which stimulates Ca absorption. Low calcium absorption stimulates parathyroid hormone that in turn promotes bone resorption. Paradoxically, intermittent injections of parathyroid hormone, rather than continuous exposure, actually stimulate bone formation. Bone formation is suppressed by corticosteroids, especially when taken orally.
WISENET thanks all those
involved, and particularly Rebecca, for providing a memorable event.