Health
Ellen DeGeneres has osteoporosis: Here's what to know about the painful bone condition
Longtime talk show host Ellen DeGeneres announced last week that she has been diagnosed with osteoporosis, as well as OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder) and ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder).
During her final Netflix special “For Your Consideration,” DeGeneres, 66, opened up about her triple diagnosis, noting that she took a bone density test recommended by her doctor and learned she had “full-on osteoporosis.”
“I don’t even know how I’m standing up right now. I’m like a human sandcastle. I could disintegrate in the shower,” she told the audience.
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DeGeneres went on to admit that “it’s hard to be honest about aging and seem cool.”
Ellen DeGeneres joins “The Late Late Show with James Corden” as a guest on May 4, 2021. The longtime talk show host announced last week that she was diagnosed with osteoporosis, as well as OCD and ADHD. (Terence Patrick/CBS via Getty Images)
“I had excruciating pain one day and I thought I tore a ligament or something, and I got an MRI, and they said, ‘No, it’s just arthritis.’ I said, ‘How did I get that?’ And he said, ‘Oh it just happens at your age,’” she said.
Dr. Gbolahan Okubadejo, board-certified spine surgeon at The Institute for Comprehensive Spine Care in New Jersey, weighed in on DeGeneres’ diagnosis.
“Ellen still appears to have great posture and appears to be very active and healthy,” he told Fox News Digital.
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“Depending on the degree of osteoporosis she was diagnosed with, she has a great chance to have a normal life,” he went on.
“It’s important for her to be well-educated about the treatments and lifestyle modifications recommended by her doctor, and be a great patient by following those instructions.”
What is osteoporosis?
Osteoporosis is a “bone disease that develops when bone mineral density and bone mass decreases, or when the structure and strength of bone changes,” according to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.
The disease can lead to a decrease in bone strength, which can increase the risk of broken bones.
Nearly 20% of women aged 50 and older have osteoporosis, according to the CDC.
“Osteoporosis occurs when the body loses too much bone mass or doesn’t produce enough bone to maintain healthy density,” Okubadejo said.
This causes the bone to become weak or brittle.
“Although certain populations are more vulnerable to osteoporosis, it’s often associated with aging, hormonal changes associated with age, lifestyle factors or mineral/vitamin deficiencies,” added Okubadejo.
The most common breaks in osteoporosis patients occur in the hip, wrist and spine, according to Mayo Clinic. (Randy Holmes/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images; iStock)
Osteoporosis can cause the bones to become so weak and brittle that a fall or even mild stress like coughing can cause a break, Mayo Clinic reported.
Nearly 20% of women aged 50 and older have osteoporosis, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Symptoms and risk factors
Early-stage bone loss typically does not show any symptoms, according to Mayo Clinic.
Once bones are weakened, that can lead to back pain, loss of height, stooped posture and easy bone breakage.
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Osteoporosis can occur in men and women alike, but Mayo Clinic specified that older white and Asian women who are past menopause have the highest risk.
Men and women with small body frames tend to be more susceptible, as they have “less bone mass to draw from as they age,” the clinic noted.
The condition is also more likely to occur in people who have hormone imbalances, have undergone gastrointestinal surgery, have low calcium intake or experience disordered eating, according to the same source.
“Osteoporosis occurs when the creation of new bone doesn’t keep up with the loss of old bone,” according to Mayo Clinic. (iStock)
Those with a family history of osteoporosis may also face a higher risk.
People who have taken corticosteroid medicines for conditions like seizures, gastric reflux, cancer and transplant rejection are more susceptible, as are those with celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease, kidney or liver disease, multiple myeloma and rheumatoid arthritis.
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As colorectal cancer (CRC) is now the leading cause of cancer death in adults under 50, a new report reveals some surprising shifts in the incidence of the disease.
Although rates of CRC have been declining among seniors, those 65 and under are facing a rise in diagnoses, according to a report titled Colorectal Cancer Statistics, 2026, from the American Cancer Society.
Adults 65 and younger comprise nearly half (45%) of all new colorectal cancer cases — a significant increase from 27% in 1995, states the report, which was published in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians.
The disease is rising fastest among adults 20 to 49 years old, at a rate of 3% per year.
Colorectal cancer is now the leading cause of cancer death in adults under 50. (iStock)
Among adults 50 and under, 75% of colorectal cancers are diagnosed at an advanced stage. Half of the diagnoses in that age range are made between the ages of 45 and 49. Although that age group is eligible to receive routine screenings, just 37% do so.
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The report also revealed that rectal cancer is on the rise, now accounting for about one-third (32%) of all CRC cases — an increase from 27% in the mid-2000s.
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“After decades of progress, the risk of dying from colorectal cancer is climbing in younger generations of men and women, confirming a real uptick in disease because of something we’re doing or some other exposure,” said Rebecca Siegel, senior scientific director, surveillance research at the American Cancer Society and lead author of the report, in a press release.
Among adults 50 and under, 75% of colorectal cancers are diagnosed at an advanced stage. Half of the diagnoses in that age range are made between the ages of 45 and 49. (iStock)
“We need to redouble research efforts to understand the cause, but also circumvent deaths through earlier detection by educating clinicians and the general public about symptoms and increasing screening in people 45-54 years.”
It is projected that 158,850 new cases of colorectal cancer will be diagnosed this year, and that the disease will cause 55,230 deaths, per the report.
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More than half of CRC cases can be linked to high-risk behaviors, the researchers said. Those include lack of nutrition, high alcohol consumption, smoking, lack of exercise and obesity.
“These findings further underscore that colorectal cancer is worsening among younger generations and highlight the immediate need for eligible adults to begin screening at the recommended age of 45,” said Dr. William Dahut, chief scientific officer at the American Cancer Society.
When the disease is caught at a local (early) stage, the five-year survival rate is 95%. (iStock)
“The report also shines a light on the crucial importance of continued funding for research to help discover new therapies to treat the disease and advance patient care.”
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When the disease is caught at a local (early) stage, the five-year survival rate is 95%, the report stated.
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A new study suggests that middle-aged men may be more vulnerable to faster biological aging, potentially linked to exposure to “forever chemicals.”
The research, published in the journal Frontiers in Aging, examined how perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, more commonly known as PFAS, could impact aging at the cellular level.
PFAS are synthetic chemicals commonly used in nonstick cookware, food packaging, water-resistant fabrics and other consumer products, the study noted.
Their chemical structure makes them highly resistant to breaking down, allowing them to accumulate in water, soil and the human body.
Chinese researchers analyzed blood samples from 326 adults enrolled in the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 1999 and 2000.
A new study suggests that middle-aged men could face accelerated biological aging at the cellular level due to exposure to PFAS. (iStock)
The researchers measured levels of 11 PFAS compounds in participants’ blood and used DNA-based “epigenetic clocks” — tools that analyze chemical changes to DNA to estimate biological age — to determine how quickly their bodies were aging at the cellular level, the study stated.
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Two compounds, perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) and perfluorooctanesulfonamide (PFOSA), were detected in 95% of participants.
Higher concentrations of those chemicals were associated with faster biological aging in men of certain age groups, but not in women.
“People should not panic.”
The compounds most strongly linked to accelerated aging were not the PFAS chemicals that typically receive the most public attention, the researchers noted.
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“The associations were strongest in adults aged 50 to 64, particularly in men,” Dr. Xiangwei Li, professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine and the study’s corresponding author, told Fox News Digital.
“While this does not establish that PFAS cause aging, it suggests that these widely present ‘forever chemicals’ may be linked to molecular changes related to long-term health and aging.”
The study found that two of the compounds were detected in 95% of participants, and higher levels were linked to faster biological aging in men ages 50–64. (iStock)
Midlife may represent a more sensitive biological period, when the body becomes more vulnerable to age-related stressors, according to the researchers.
Lifestyle factors, such as smoking, may influence biological aging markers, potentially increasing vulnerability to environmental pollutants.
While Li said “people should not panic,” she does recommend looking for reasonable ways to reduce exposure.
That might mean checking local drinking water reports, using certified water filters designed to reduce PFAS, and limiting the use of stain- or grease-resistant products when alternatives are available.
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Meaningful reductions in PFAS exposure will likely depend on broader regulatory action and environmental cleanup efforts, Li added.
The researchers noted that midlife could be a particularly sensitive stage, when the body is more susceptible to stressors associated with aging. (iStock)
Study limitations
The researchers outlined several important limitations of the research, including that the findings show an association, but do not prove that PFAS directly causes accelerated aging.
“The study is cross-sectional, meaning exposure and aging markers were measured at the same time, so we cannot determine causality,” Li told Fox News Digital.
The study was also relatively small, limited to 326 adults age 50 or older, which means the findings may not apply to younger people or broader populations.
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Researchers measured PFAS levels using data collected between 1999 and 2000, and today’s exposure patterns may differ.
Li added that while PFAS is known to persist in the environment and the body, these results should be validated through larger, more recent studies that follow participants over time.
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