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news.Nitrates commonly used to treat chest pain may also be an affordable option to strengthen bones in older women, according to a Canadian study led by University of Toronto department of medicine assistant professor Sophie Jamal.
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In the study, consisting of 243 postmenopausal women, nitroglycerin cream demonstrated a capability to increase bone density by about 7% when applied daily to the upper arms for two years, bloomberg.com reported.
The only side effects reported were headaches experienced by 35% of women in the first month of treatment which decreased over time.
These results raise the possibility of using generic nitroglycerin as an inexpensive alternative to brand-name osteoporosis medicines such as Roche Holding’s Boniva, Novartis’s Reclast, Warner Chilcott’s Actonel and Amgen’s Prolia, the news agency reported.
Jamal said the efficacy of nitrates for reducing risk of fracture should be tested in a larger randomized controlled trial.