Chest Pain Drug May Build Up Bones

A drug for chest pain may also help osteoporosis, new research suggests. The study included 243 women. All of them had passed menopause. They were andomly assigned to use either nitroglycerin ointment or a placebo (fake). They spread the ointment on part of the upper arm each night. The study lasted 2 years. By the end, women who used the nitroglycerin had increases in bone density compared with those who got the placebo. The increases were 6.7% in the spine, 6.2% in the hip and 7% at the top of the thigh bone. The Journal of the American Medical Association published the study. HealthDay News wrote about it February 22.