Does Not Weaken Bones 1st appeared 19 June 1998 UCSF Study Finds Popular Blood Thinner Does Not Weaken Bones Warfarin, a popular blood thinner used to treat conditions such as heart and leg clots and irregular heart beats, does not increase the risk of osteoporosis in older women, a new UCSF study has found. UCSF researchers were concerned that warfarin weakened the bones of older women because it suppresses vitamin K, which may be necessary for building bone.
Osteoporosis is a common condition among older women and warfarin is widely used among older women.
The study, which tracked 6,052 women age 65 and older over two years, found that warfarin users had no greater thinning of the bones or fractures than other women their age. The study was recently published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. The women studied were part of the large multicenter study of osteoporotic fractures, run by Steven R. Cummings, UCSF professor of medicine. All rights reserved. Please direct all comments and questions to the Daybreak Editor .