Health briefs: Drinking to bone health

Drinking one or two alcoholic beverages several times a week may improve the bone health of older women and reduce their risk for osteoporosis, a small study suggests. Postmenopausal women are at particular risk because of reduced estrogen, essential for bone strength, the study said.

"This study clearly demonstrates that even small amounts of alcohol . . . can rapidly impact bone metabolism," said lead researcher Urszula Iwaniec at Oregon State University. As part of a healthy lifestyle, "moderate alcohol may slow bone loss by lowering bone turnover."

Cranberries to the rescue

Cranberry juice and cranberry supplements really do help prevent urinary tract infections, a new study confirms. As many as 50 percent of women will develop at least one urinary tract infection in their lifetime, and up to 30 percent will develop recurrent infections, according to experts. For this new report, researchers from Taiwan analyzed 13 studies that compared cranberry-containing products to those with an inactive placebo. The studies involved a total of 1,616 individuals in North America and Europe. The result? These longtime folk remedies provide protection against common urinary tract infections. -- HealthDay