"Osteoporosis medications called bisphosphonates are known to reduce the risk of bone fractures. But they also appear to extend life  although researchers dont yet know how they do this. In a study of  people released Wednesday Australian scientists found that people taking bisphosphonates  which include the medications Fosamax Boniva and Actonel  gain an extra five years of life compared with people with osteoporosis who were taking other forms of therapy for the illness  such as calcium vitamin D or hormone therapy  and those taking no therapy. The death rate for women taking bisphosphonates was . per  personyears compared with . for women taking hormone therapy . for women taking calcium and vitamin D and . for women taking no treatment. In men bisphosphonates also lowered the death rate compared with other therapies. In a group of women with osteoporotic fractures over the age of  you would expect  to die over a period of five years a coauthor of the study Jacqueline Center of Sydneys Gravan Institute of Medical Research said in a news release. Among women in that age group who took bisphosphonates the death rate dropped to .   Its not clear what accounts for this benefit. It could be that people taking bisphosphonates are generally healthier or get better overall healthcare. But the researchers suggest that the link is tied to physiology. When people age and lose bone heavy metals like lead and cadmium which are stored in bone over a lifetime are released into the bloodstream and can affect health. Preventing bone loss may prevent the release of these toxic substances and the damage they do. Bisphosphonates do produce side effects such as heartburn however. In a small number of people the medications cause bonehealing problems after dental surgery. The study appears online in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology  Metabolism httpjcem.endojournals.orgcgicontentabstractjc.vmaxtoshowhitsRESULTFORMATauthorCenterfulltextosteoporosissearchidFIRSTINDEXsortspecrelevanceresourcetypeHWCIT."