Endocrine Insider
December 11, 2008 

Two articles recently published in the Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism have garnered significant media attention, drawing interest from Reuters, Reader's Digest, MSNBC, BBC News, Chicago Daily Herald, Health Day, and many others.

"Treatment with Potassium Bicarbonate Lowers Calcium Excretion and Bone Resorption in Older Men and Women" will be published in the January issue of JCEM. Results from the study showed that diets that are high in protein and cereal grains produce an excess of acid in the body which may increase calcium excretion and weaken bones. The study demonstrated that increasing the alkali content of the diet, with a pill or through a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, has the opposite effect and strengthens skeletal health, according to Dr. Bess Dawson-Hughes, MD, of Tufts University in Boston, MA. and lead author of the study.

This study can be found here.

The second study, "Thyroid Function and Structure are Affected In Childhood Obesity," was published in the December issue of JCEM. The results of this study indicated that in addition to its strong associations with hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes, pediatric obesity may induce alterations in thyroid function and structure, according to Giorgio Radetti, MD, of the Regional Hospital of Bolzano in Italy and lead author of the study.

Society members Mohamad Maghnie, MD, PhD and Natascia di Iorgi, MD of the University of Genova in Italy coauthored this study.

This study can be found here.