Sad to the Bone

            Talk about getting kicked when you’re down: Talking antidepressants such as Lexpro and Prozac can lead to bone-density loss later in life, according to a study in the Archives of Internal Medicine.  Researchers analyzed data from 2,722 older women who had two bone-density measurements taken 5 years apart.  They found that those who were taking selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) for depression within the 2 weeks before the measurements lost nearly twice as much bone density—0.82 percent versus 0.47 percent per year—as those who weren’t.  “The drugs may affect cells responsible for maintaining healthy bones,” says lead author Susan Diem, M.D., M.P.H.  But don’t heave your happy pills: Instead, aim for at least 1,200 milligrams of calcium per day—an 8-ounce glass of milk has about 275 milligrams—and build bones with weight-bearing workouts such as running and strength training.

Console Prize

            Get your virtual game on: Video games can be a real workout, reports a study from Heriot-Watt University in Scotland.  Researchers monitored the heart rates and oxygen consumption of people playing Sony Play station’s EyeToy: Kinetic.  Subjects did three 10-minute rounds of Sidewinder (In both, players strike and kick at onscreen icons using a motion-detection camera.)  Participants burned an average of 300 calories per hour.  In Sidewinder, oxygen consumption doubled; average heart rate was 160 beats per minute.  Play hard with Nintendo’s Wii Sports and Wii Fit (out in 2008), which has a balance board for hula hoping and ski jumping.

Got Milk?

            Mold more muscles with moo juice.  Researchers at Canada’s McMaster University had 56 men work out 5 days a week.  After each session, the men drank two 16-ounce glasses of skim milk, a soy-based beverage, or a carbohydrate drink.  After 12 weeks, the milk guzzlers had lost 2 pounds of fat; the carb drinkers had lost one pound.  (Soy sippers lost almost no weight.)  The milk men also gained 50 percent more muscle—9 pounds on average.  “We suspect the calcium and high-quality protein in milk helped build fat-burning muscle,” says lead researcher Stuart Phillips, Ph.D.  More research is needed, but women may also benefit.