Mediterranean diet rich in nuts and olive oil may help reduce bone loss

Eating a Mediterraneantype diet — rich in fruit, vegetables, nuts, unrefined cereals, olive oil, and fish — could reduce bone loss in people with osteoporosis, a recent has study claimed. The study, which was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, is the first longterm, pan-European clinical trial looking at the impact of a Mediterranean diet on bone health in older adults.

“This is a particularly sensitive area for osteoporosis as loss of bone in the femoral neck is often the cause of hip fracture, which is common in elderly people with osteoporosis,” said Susan Fairweather-Tait, a professor at the University of East Anglia in the UK.

More than 1,000 people aged between 65 and 79 took part in the study. All the volunteers were randomly put into two groups — one which followed a Mediterranean diet and a second control group which did not. Bone density was measured at the start of the study and after 12 months. The diet had no discernible impact on participants with normal bone density. But, it did have an effect on those with osteoporosis. People in the control group continued to see the usual age-related decrease in bone density. But, those following the diet saw an equivalent increase in bone density in one part of the body — the femoral neck. This was the area which connects the shaft of the thigh bone to its rounded head and fits in the hip joint.

“Bone takes a long time to form. So, the 12-month trial — although one of the longest to date — was still a relatively short time frame to show an impact. So, the fact that we were able to see a marked difference between the two groups, even in just this one area, is significant,” Fairweather-Tait said.