This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Mediterranean diet yields positive impact on postmenopausal bone, muscle mass
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
CHICAGO — Postmenopausal women who adhered to a Mediterranean diet had improved lumbar spine bone mineral density and appendicular lean mass index compared with women with low dietary adherence, according to a speaker here.
“Emerging evidence suggests that a Mediterranean Diet combined with other healthy lifestyle habits, may be a useful nonpharmacological strategy for the primary prevention of osteoporosis and fractures in the post menopause,” Thais Rasia Silva, PhD, a postdoctoral student at the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil, said during a presentation at the Endocrine Society Annual Meeting.
Silva and colleagues evaluated 103 apparently healthy postmenopausal women from southern Brazil (mean age, 55 years; BMI, 27 kg/m2) to determine whether there is an association between Mediterranean diet score, which measures adherence to the diet, and body composition and BMD. The researchers used DXA to evaluate BMD, percent body fat and appendicular lean mass index; indirect calorimetry to evaluate resting metabolic rate; and a pedometer to measure habitual physical activity.
“In the past years, the Mediterranean diet has been [associated with] positive health outcomes and has received growing attention,” Silva said.
The Mediterranean diet is well known and is characterized by high intake of fruits and vegetables, grains, potatoes, olive oil and seeds; moderate intake of fish; low intake of red meat, dairy and saturated fat; and moderate consumption of red wine.
Participants completed a food-frequency questionnaire and a Mediterranean diet score was compiled based on intake of key foods of the Mediterranean diet.
High adherence, based on Mediterranean diet score, was positively associated with appendicular lean mass index (6.6 kg/m2 vs. 6.3 kg/m2; P = .039) and lumbar spine BMD (1.076 g/cm2 vs. 0.997 g/cm2; P = .007), compared with participants with low adherence. The researchers observed no differences between low and high dietary adherence for femoral neck and total femoral BMD.
Mediterranean diet score independently and positively contributed to lumbar spine BMD (P = .003) and appendicular lean mass index (P = .037), according to multivariate regression analysis. Previous hormone therapy use, smoking and physical activity did not alter the results.
Silva noted that participants with higher adherence had longer duration of school attendance by about 5 years compared with those with low adherence (11 years vs. 6 years; P = .022).
“It is pertinent to mention this higher education level because evidence indicates that diet quality may be linked to education and plays an important role in determining food consumption behavior in Brazil and also in other studies in a Mediterranean region,” she said.
According to Silva, “more studies are necessary to clarify the effect of Mediterranean Diet on body composition.
“In the meantime, the emerging evidence suggests that a Mediterranean diet combined with other healthy lifestyle habits, may be a useful nonpharmacological strategy for the primary prevention of osteoporosis and fractures in the post menopause,” Silva said. – by Amber Cox
Reference:
Silva T, et al. MON-301. Presented at: The Endocrine Society Annual Meeting; March 17-20, 2018; Chicago.
Disclosure: Silva reports no relevant financial disclosures.