February 19, 2006

By: Sara Collin
Website: http://www.1st-in-vitamins.com

UMDNJ researchers are testing nitroglycerin ointment

Researchers at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) are testing a nitroglycerin ointment as an alternative to hormone replacement therapy to prevent osteoporosis in postmenopausal women.

The three-year study, which is being conducted at the UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick, is known as "Nitroglycerin as an Option: Value in Early Bone Loss" (NOVEL). The only site for this trial nationwide, the study is being funded by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.

The treatment consists of a daily vitamin application of nitroglycerin ointment to the most commonly affected areas of the body--arms, legs and hips--of women between the ages of 40 and 60.

Dr. Sunil J. Wimalawansa, director of the Division of Endocrinology at the UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, is the principal investigator of the study.

"As postmenopausal women grow older, osteoporosis is a common medical problem and is the cause for broken hips in 95 percent of older women and men," Dr. Wimalawansa said. "Previous studies have found that nitroglycerin may keep the body from re-absorbing bone and thus slow the bone-thinning process."

About The Author:

Sara Collin is a successful author and regular contributor to http://www.1st-in-vitamins.com.  Recommending the best vitamins, minerals, herbs and weight loss products for optimum health.