Date Time Thin and brittle bones strongly linked to women’s heart disease risk Thinning lower spine, top of thigh bone and hip predictive of raised heart attack/stroke risk Thin and brittle bones are strongly linked to women’s heart disease risk, with thinning of the lower (lumbar) spine, top of the thigh bone (femoral neck), and hip especially predictive of a heightened heart attack and stroke risk, suggests research in the journal Heart. Osteoporosis, often dubbed brittle bone disease, is common, particularly among women after the menopause. It is characterised by thinning and weakened bones and a heightened fracture risk.