- 1School
of Exercise and Nutritional Sciences, San Diego State University, 5500
Campanile Drive, San Diego, CA, 92182-7251, USA.
shooshmand@mail.sdsu.edu.
- 2School of Exercise and Nutritional Sciences, San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Drive, San Diego, CA, 92182-7251, USA.
- 3Department of Behavioral Health and Nutrition, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA.
- 4Center for Advancing Exercise and Nutrition Research on Aging, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA.
- 5Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA.
- 6Department of Statistics, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA.
- 7Department of Nutrition, Food and Exercise Sciences, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA.
Abstract
Daily consumption of 50 g of dried plum (equivalent to 5-6 dried plums) for 6 months may be as effective as 100 g of dried plum in preventing bone loss in older, osteopenic postmenopausal women. To some extent, these results may be attributed to the inhibition of bone resorption with the concurrent maintenance of bone formation.
INTRODUCTION:
The objective of our current study was to examine the possible dose-dependent effects of dried plum in preventing bone loss in older osteopenic postmenopausal women.
METHODS:
Forty-eight
osteopenic women (65-79 years old) were randomly assigned into one of
three treatment groups for 6 months: (1) 50 g of dried plum; (2) 100 g of dried plum; and (3) control. Total body, hip, and lumbar bone
mineral density (BMD) were evaluated at baseline and 6 months using
dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Blood biomarkers including bone-specific
alkaline phosphatase (BAP), tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase
(TRAP-5b), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), insulin-like
growth factor-1 (IGF-1), and sclerostin were measured at baseline,
3 months, and 6 months. Osteoprotegerin (OPG), receptor activator of
nuclear factor kappa-B ligand (RANKL), calcium, phosphorous, and vitamin
D were measured at baseline and 6 months.
RESULTS:
Both doses of dried
plum were able to prevent the loss of total body BMD compared with that
of the control group (P < 0.05). TRAP-5b, a marker of bone resorption, decreased at 3 months and this was sustained at 6 months in both 50 and 100 g dried plum groups (P < 0.01 and P < 0.04, respectively). Although there were no significant changes in BAP for either of the dried plum groups, the BAP/TRAP-5b ratio was significantly (P < 0.05) greater at 6 months in both dried plum groups whereas there were no changes in the control group.
CONCLUSIONS:
These results confirm the ability of
dried plum to prevent the loss of total body BMD in older osteopenic postmenopausal women and suggest that a lower dose of
dried plum (i.e., 50 g) may be as effective as 100 g of
dried plum in preventing
bone loss in older, osteopenic postmenopausal women. This may be due, in part, to the ability of
dried plums to inhibit
bone resorption. This clinical trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02325895 .
KEYWORDS:
Bone turnover biomarkers; Estrogen; Osteopenia; Osteoporosis; Prune
