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Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month - HER Week In Health

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Bailey Mosier Recaps The Top Stories In Women's Health For The Week Of May 13, 2011.

Hi, I’m Bailey Mosier and this is your EmpowHER.com Week in Health.

In this week’s edition we’ll take a look at Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month and just how serious an issue teen pregnancy is in the United States.

The month of May is also National Osteoporosis Awareness and Prevention Month and we’ll tell you some ways you can keep your bones healthy and strong.

And lastly, a recent study suggests that decreasing one’s salt intake may not – in fact – provide added health benefits for individuals who are already considered to be healthy.

The Center for Disease Control tells us more than 400,000 teen girls give birth each year in the U.S. and cost taxpayers more than $9 billion annually.

Teen pregnancy is closely linked to poverty and single parenthood, health risks for both the mother and child and children born from a teenage mother are more likely to struggle in the classroom and have behavioral problems according to the CDC.

Join in the campaign this month to educate young teens on the realities involved with teen pregnancy and help ensure sexually active teens have access to effective and affordable contraceptives.
Also, take part this month in National Osteoporosis Awareness and Prevention Month by learning how to protect yourself against the disease.
The National Osteoporosis Foundation reports that 8 million American women currently have osteoporosis and another 34 million Americans are at risk for developing it.
By 2025, experts predict that osteoporosis will be responsible for approximately 3 million bone fractures and $25.3 billion in health care costs annually.
Try these steps to promote strong bones for life:
• Eat a diet full of fruits and vegetables and high in calcium
• Get enough vitamin D
• Exercise every day – even something as simple as walking or dancing
• Do not smoke and limit alcohol consumption
• Discuss your bone health with a health care provider.

A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association indicates that healthy people who eat the least amount of sodium don’t have any health advantage over those who eat the most and thus, the recommendation to drastically reduce salt intake may have no merit.

But, already scientists and nutritionists have criticized the recent study’s methodology, not convinced its findings are substantiated.

In this study, scientists measured sodium intake of nearly 4,000 participants, with an average age of 40. They found that those with the lowest levels of sodium had no greater protection against high blood pressure after eight years than those who consumed the highest levels.

The study’s author recognizes that reducing salt intake is still crucial for those with high blood pressure or heart failure, but if you are a healthy person, the findings suggest you can continue to indulge your salt tooth and without a fear of developing heart problems.

Research on the topic is still inconclusive and it’s recommended you take the study’s conclusions…with a grain of salt.

That wraps up your EmpowHER Week In Health. Join me here, at EmpowHER.com every Friday as we recap the latest in women’s health.

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