Osteoporosis drug may also normalize heart rate

NEW YORK, May 26 (Reuters) Treatment with raloxifene appears to reduce heart rate variability in elderly women with osteoporosis, Turkish researchers report in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

There is some evidence that raloxifene, sold under the trade name Evista, may have a protective effect on women with cardiovascular disease or who have a high risk of developing cardiovascular disease, but the effects are still unclear, Dr Mert Gol and colleagues at Dokuz Eylul University Hospital, Izmir, note.

The researchers therefore studied 43 postmenopausal women with osteoporosis. The women were randomly assigned to raloxifene at 60 mg daily or another drug that prevents or slows down osteoporosis -- alendronate (trade name Fosamax) at 10 mg daily.

At as early as three months, the researchers found that raloxifene decreased hyperactivity in the sympathetic nervous system, which is associated with cardiovascular disease, and this persisted until the end of treatment at six months.

Also, measurement of the average intervals between heartbeats, a sensitive indication of parasympathetic nervous system activity, tended to increase in the raloxifene group, with suggests reduced sympathetic activity.

Because activation of the sympathetic nervous system is associated with cardiovascular disease, the team concludes that raloxifene treatment may have a positive effect on cardiovascular health in these women.'' The investigators note that a trial to evaluate these effects is currently underway.

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