MEDITERRANEAN DIET MAY SLOW DOWN RATE OF BONE LOSS IN EUROPEAN WOMEN WITH OSTEOPOROSIS

KEY WORDS
EUROPEAN WOMEN WITH ESTABLISHED OSTEOPOROSIS
MEDITERRANEAN DIET CAN BE A MODIFIED ONE FOR YOUR COUNTRY. THIS DIET IS A SORT OF NEUTRAL DIET FOR ANY ONE TO FOLLOW 

A Mediterranean-like dietary pattern with vitamin D₃ (10 µg/d) supplements reduced the rate of bone loss in older Europeans with osteoporosis at baseline: results of a 1-y randomized controlled trial 

Amy Jennings Kevin D Cashman Rachel Gillings Aedin Cassidy Jonathan TangWilliam Fraser Kirsten G Dowling George L J Hull Agnes A M BerendsenLisette C P G M de Groot ... Show more

The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, nqy122,https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/nqy122

Published:

11 July 2018

Background

The Mediterranean diet (MD) is widely recommended for the prevention of chronic disease, but evidence for a beneficial effect on bone health is lacking.

Objective

The aim of this study was to examine the effect of a Mediterranean-like dietary pattern [NU-AGE (New Dietary Strategies Addressing the Specific Needs of the Elderly Population for Healthy Aging in Europe)] on indexes of inflammation with a number of secondary endpoints, including bone mineral density (BMD) and biomarkers of bone and collagen degradation in a 1-y multicenter randomized controlled trial (RCT; NU-AGE) in elderly Europeans.

Design

An RCT was undertaken across 5 European centers. Subjects in the intervention group consumed the NU-AGE diet for 1 y by receiving individually tailored dietary advice, coupled with supplies of foods including whole-grain pasta, olive oil, and a vitamin D₃ supplement (10 µg/d). Participants in the control group were provided with leaflets on healthy eating available in their country.

Results

A total of 1294 participants (mean ± SD age: 70.9 ±4.0 y; 44% male) were recruited to the study and 1142 completed the 1-y trial. The Mediterranean-like dietary pattern had no effect on BMD (site-specific or whole-body); the inclusion of compliance to the intervention in the statistical model did not change the findings. There was also no effect of the intervention on the urinary biomarkers free pyridinoline or free deoxypyridinoline. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D significantly increased and parathyroid hormone decreased (P < 0.001) in the MD compared with the control group. Subgroup analysis of individuals with osteoporosis at baseline (site-specific BMD T-score ≤ −2.5 SDs) showed that the MD attenuated the expected decline in femoral neck BMD (n = 24 and 30 in MD and control groups, respectively; P = 0.04) but had no effect on lumbar spine or whole-body BMD.

Conclusions

A 1-y intervention of the Mediterranean-like diet together with vitamin D₃ supplements (10 µg/d) had no effect on BMD in the normal age-related range, but it significantly reduced the rate of loss of bone at the femoral neck in individuals with osteoporosis.