There are over 1 million osteoporosis patients in Korea. Most of the patients are women over the age of 50. This is because, when you reach menopause, the amount of estrogen, a female hormone that plays a big role in maintaining bone strength, decreases. Experts advise that prevention of osteoporosis is more important than drug or treatment following it occurs.
Researchers at the University of California, USA, recently published a study in the international scientific journal ‘Advanced in Nutrition’ that the habit of eating one plum a day helps maintain bone density. The researchers analyzed a total of 26 studies of rodent animal models.
As a result, polyphenols in plums increased the expression of antioxidant enzymes and inhibited the production of cytokines, which are substances that cause inflammation. Cells that make up our body are subjected to ‘oxidative stress’ by eating habits and lifestyle. Cells damaged by oxidative stress cause various diseases. One of them is weakening the bones. Antioxidants are known to prevent the formation of osteoclasts that contribute to the destruction and resorption of bone tissue.
The researchers also analyzed two clinical trials involving postmenopausal women. Those who ate one plum (50-100 g) per day for 6 to 12 months had higher bone density and lower bone resorption index (TRAP-5b) than those who did not. A low bone resorption index means that the loss of calcium and the like is small.
In particular, the bone density of the bones of the forearm and lower spine was noticeably improved, and the bone turnover rate was low. Bone turnover is an indicator of how much our bones have been destroyed and regenerated. In our body, there are osteoblasts that form bones and osteoclasts that destroy them. As we get older, osteoclasts become more active than osteoblasts and bones become weaker. In this case, bone turnover increases. “The antioxidants in prunes reduce bone destruction and inhibit inflammation, which in turn lowers the risk of osteoporosis,” said Connie Rogers, a professor at the University of California at California.
The research team cited changes in the gut microbiota as the reason that plums suppressed the inflammatory response. It is said that various nutrients in plums, such as polyphenols, minerals, vitamin K, and dietary fiber, increase beneficial microorganisms in the intestine and lower the inflammatory response. Professor Rogers said, “As the gut microbiome changes, cytokines that cause inflammation have decreased, and the indicators of cellular damage caused by oxidative stress are lowered.”
Over the next year, the researchers plan to further study how prune consumption is involved in bone formation and inflammatory pathways, as well as its effect on the gut microbiota.
As of 2020, there are 1.04 million osteoporosis patients in Korea. Worldwide, it is predicted that the number of women over the age of 50 with osteoporosis will reach 13.6 million by 2030. As life expectancy increases, the number of osteoporotic patients is expected to increase steadily.
Correspondent Choi Ji-won [email protected]
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