Food study launched examining bone health of women 60 years and older

Hebrew SeniorLife clinical food trial tests if the combination of probiotics and prebiotics will help in the management of bone health

2025-01-10

(Press-News.org) Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research investigators at Hebrew SeniorLife have launched a large clinical food trial to test whether a combination of probiotics and prebiotics (BondiaÒ or SBD111) developed by Solarea Bio will help manage bone health in women aged 60 years and above. The first participants have joined the study and the Institute seeks additional women for the 18-month effort.

“I am very happy to be involved in this important research to help with bone health in women,” says study participant Kathy Egan. “I hope to learn about the effects of alternative solutions for the management of bone density. Women’s health issues are very important to me, and anything I can do to help is valuable.”

Principal investigator Dr. Shivani Sahni, PhD, and her research team also plan to study the underlying mechanisms (related to diet, inflammation, and the gut microbiome) leading to age-related bone loss.

The Study To Attenuate Resorption of the Skeleton (STARS) is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, clinical food trial of a synbiotic (a combination of probiotic and prebiotic) medical food for the dietary management of metabolic processes underlying age-related bone loss. If successful, this trial will confirm that natural products can be used to manage these metabolic processes that underlie osteopenia and osteoporosis.

“There are currently no consistent guidelines on how middle-aged and older adults can maintain healthy bone mass as they age,” said Dr. Sahni. “Consequently, approximately 10 million Americans aged 50 years and above are living with osteoporosis, culminating in 1.5 million fractures costing $17 billion annually. Hence, there is an unmet need for safe and effective dietary interventions for the metabolic processes underlying bone loss.

The National Institute on Aging is funding the study.

Collaborating institutions include Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), Maine Medical Center, Solarea Bio, and Tufts University.

Persons interested in participating in the study should contact Evelyn O’Neill at 617-971-5800.

About Hebrew SeniorLife
Hebrew SeniorLife, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School, is a national senior services leader uniquely dedicated to rethinking, researching, and redefining the possibilities of aging. Hebrew SeniorLife cares for more than 4,500 seniors a day across six campuses throughout Greater Boston. Locations include: Hebrew Rehabilitation Center-Boston and Hebrew Rehabilitation Center-NewBridge in Dedham; NewBridge on the Charles, Dedham; Orchard Cove, Canton; Simon C. Fireman Community, Randolph; Center Communities of Brookline, Brookline; Jack Satter House, Revere, and Leyland Community, Dorchester. Founded in 1903, Hebrew SeniorLife also conducts influential research into aging at the Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research, which has a portfolio of more than $98 million, making it one of the largest gerontological research facilities in the U.S. in a clinical setting. It also trains more than 500 geriatric care providers each year. For more information about Hebrew SeniorLife, visit our website or follow us on our blog, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and LinkedIn.

About the Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research
Scientists at the Marcus Institute seek to transform the human experience of aging by conducting research that will ensure a life of health, dignity, and productivity into advanced age. The Marcus Institute carries out rigorous studies that discover the mechanisms of age-related disease and disability; lead to the prevention, treatment, and cure of disease; advance the standard of care for older people; and inform public decision-making.

END

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

CDC awards $1.25M to engineers retooling mine production and safety

2025-01-10

From mapping ore to predicting slope behavior and reclaiming land, mining is a rapidly evolving technological industry. Yet planning and operations have not necessarily kept up with the advancements. With $1.25 million from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, or NIOSH, mining and geological engineering researchers in the University of Arizona College of Engineering are boosting their efforts to better align technology and planning for improved safety and productivity. The award from the institute, part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, will fund the research ...

Using AI to uncover hospital patients’ long COVID care needs

2025-01-10

PHILADELPHIA— Across the United States, no hospital is the same. Equipment, staffing, technical capabilities, and patient populations can all differ. So, while the profiles developed for people with common conditions may seem universal, the reality is that there are nuances that require individual attention, both in the make-up of the patients being seen and the situations of the hospitals providing their care. New research shows that artificial intelligence can potentially help improve care overall by combing through ...

$1.9M NIH grant will allow researchers to explore how copper kills bacteria

2025-01-10

TUCSON, Arizona — A researcher at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson received a $1.9 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to continue his research into uncovering the mysteries of copper – specifically, how it can be harnessed to kill harmful bacteria and other microorganisms. “We started using copper tens of thousands of years ago to cut down on bacterial infections,” said Michael D.L. Johnson, PhD, an associate professor ...

New fossil discovery sheds light on the early evolution of animal nervous systems

2025-01-10

Embargoed until Friday 10-Jan-2025 14:00 ET (10-Jan-2025 19:00 GMT/UTC) An international team of scientists has uncovered a fascinating piece of the evolutionary puzzle: how the ventral nerve cord, a key component of the central nervous system, evolved in ecdysozoan animals, a group that includes insects, nematodes, and priapulid worms. Their findings, published in Science Advances, provide valuable insights into the origins of these structures in the basal Cambrian period. The research team, comprising Dr Deng Wang (Northwest University), Dr Jean Vannier (Université ...

A battle of rafts: How molecular dynamics in CAR T cells explain their cancer-killing behavior

2025-01-10

HOUSTON – (Jan. 10, 2025) – A study published in Science Advances shares new insights into how two of the most common types of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells kill cancer. Investigators from Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children’s Cancer Center and the Center for Cell and Gene Therapy at Baylor, Houston Methodist Hospital and Texas Children’s Hospital examined how molecular dynamics at the immune synapse – where CAR T cells bind to cancer cells – affect anticancer activity. In this study, researchers aimed to understand how CAR T cells with different signaling domains work at the molecular and cellular levels to lay the ...

Study shows how plant roots access deeper soils in search of water

2025-01-10

Scientists have discovered how plants adapt their root systems in drought conditions to grow steeper into the soil to access deeper water reserves. Plant scientists from the University of Nottingham, in collaboration with Shanghai Jiao Tong University, have identified how abscisic acid (ABA), a plant hormone known for its role in drought response, influences root growth angles in cereal crops such as rice and maize. The results have been published in Current Biology. The study highlights how ABA and auxin, another key hormone, work together to shape root growth ...

Study reveals cost differences between Medicare Advantage and traditional Medicare patients in cancer drugs

2025-01-10

A new study examining the use of high-cost drugs among patients with colorectal cancer and non-small cell lung cancer found those insured through Medicare Advantage received less expensive cancer drugs compared to others on Traditional Medicare. The findings were published today in JAMA Health Forum. "Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States and colorectal cancer ranks third. Gaining a better understanding of treatment options and their costs under different insurance plans is important for assessing the overall healthcare landscape and how insurances manage patient costs,” said the study’s first author Cathy Bradley, PhD, Dean ...

‘What is that?’ UCalgary scientists explain white patch that appears near northern lights

2025-01-10

A whitish, grey patch that sometimes appears in the night sky alongside the northern lights has been explained for the first time by researchers at the University of Calgary. The article, which was published on Dec. 30 in the journal Nature Communications, explores a “structured continuum emission” that’s associated with aurora borealis. “You’d see this dynamic green aurora, you’d see some of the red aurora in the background and, all of a sudden, you’d see this structured – almost like a patch – grey-toned or white toned-emission connected to the aurora,” says Dr. Emma Spanswick, ...

How many children use Tik Tok against the rules? Most, study finds

2025-01-10

How many children use Tik Tok against the rules? Most, study finds As the U.S. Supreme Court considers whether Congress can ban Tik Tok, new research highlights the health risks that top social media platforms pose to children. Most 11- and 12-year-olds use Tik Tok and other social media despite the platforms’ age restrictions, and many show signs of addiction to social media, a new UC San Francisco study found. Tik Tok, Instagram, YouTube, and Snapchat require users to be at least 13 years old to have an account. But the study found that a majority of 11- and 12-years olds across the country have accounts on the platforms, ...

Scientists find out why aphasia patients lose the ability to talk about the past and future

2025-01-10

An international team of researchers, including scientists from the HSE Centre for Language and Brain, has identified the causes of impairments in expressing grammatical tense in people with aphasia. They discovered that individuals with speech disorders struggle with both forming the concept of time and selecting the correct verb tense. However, which of these processes proves more challenging depends on the speaker's language. The findings have been published in the journal Aphasiology. Aphasia is a severe speech disorder, often resulting ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Project to redesign clinical trials for neurologic conditions for underserved populations funded with $2.9M grant to UTHealth Houston

Depression – discovering faster which treatment will work best for which individual

Breakthrough study reveals unexpected cause of winter ozone pollution

nTIDE January 2025 Jobs Report: Encouraging signs in disability employment: A slow but positive trajectory

Generative AI: Uncovering its environmental and social costs

Lower access to air conditioning may increase need for emergency care for wildfire smoke exposure

Dangerous bacterial biofilms have a natural enemy