A mediterranean diet and regular exercise can combat age-related bone mineral density loss in older women with metabolic syndrome, new evidence has demonstrated.
Researchers have found that a three-year lifestyle intervention based on a reduced-calorie Mediterranean diet combined with physical activity can stop older women from experiencing bone loss.
This intervention particularly protected bone loss around the lumbar spine – the region of the spine consisting of five vertebrae and otherwise known as the lower back.
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Amid soaring obesity rates and a growing ageing population around the world, low bone mineral density is becoming a major public health challenge.
Weight loss can cause reductions in bone mineral density and total bone mineral content among older adults, previous studies have shown.
Prior research has identified that bone loss is triggered when hypocaloric diets are not combined with targeted exercise.
As part of the trial, the team of researchers looked at the bone health of 924 adults, all of whom were overweight or obese and living with metabolic syndrome.
Each participant was randomly assigned to either an intervention including a Mediterranean diet with a 30% energy reduction, increased physical activity and behavioural support or a control group including an unrestricted Mediterranean diet without physical activity promotion.
The researchers measured the participant’s bone mineral density at the total femur, lumbar spine (L1–L4), and femoral trochanter.
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According to the results, the participants in the intervention group had greater improvements to their lumbar spine bone mineral density compared to those in the control group. The difference was more apparent among women compared to men, the study has reported.
“The findings support the use of weight loss lifestyle interventions based on an energy-reduced Mediterranean diet and physical activity promotion for older women at risk of bone disturbances as a feasible strategy to preserve the effects of possible concomitant weight loss on age-related decreases in bone mineral density decline,” said the authors.
Access the study in the journal JAMA Network Open.
