Berries, their micronutrients and bone health.

Purpose Of Review: The design and the development of functional foods is a key issue for bone health and a scientific challenge as well. As most studies have focused on calcium, and have paid less attention to other nutrients, our knowledge of the influence of nutrition on bone health remains limited. It has been well acknowledged that the human diet contains a wide and complex range of bioactive molecules endowed with interesting protective properties.

The phenolic acids of Agen prunes (dried plums) or Agen prune juice concentrates do not account for the protective action on bone in a rat model of postmenopausal osteoporosis.

Dietary supplementation with dried plum (DP) has been shown to protect against and reverse established osteopenia in ovariectomized rodents. Based on in vitro studies, we hypothesized that DP polyphenols may be responsible for that bone-sparing effect. This study was designed to (1) analyze whether the main phenolic acids of DP control preosteoblast proliferation and activity in vitro; (2) determine if the polyphenolic content of DP or DP juice concentrate is the main component improving bone health in vivo; and (3) analyze whether DP metabolites directly modulate preosteoblast physiology ex vivo.

Pomegranate Peel Extract Prevents Bone Loss in a Preclinical Model of Osteoporosis and Stimulates Osteoblastic Differentiation in Vitro.

The nutritional benefits of pomegranate have attracted great scientific interest. The pomegranate, including the pomegranate peel, has been used worldwide for many years as a fruit with medicinal activity, mostly antioxidant properties. Among chronic diseases, osteoporosis, which is associated with bone remodelling impairment leading to progressive bone loss, could eventually benefit from antioxidant compounds because of the involvement of oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of osteopenia.

Muscle and bone, two interconnected tissues.

As bones are levers for skeletal muscle to exert forces, both are complementary and essential for locomotion and individual autonomy. In the past decades, the idea of a bone-muscle unit has emerged. Numerous studies have confirmed this hypothesis from in utero to aging works.

Twelve-month consumption of a polyphenol extract from olive (Olea europaea) in a double blind, randomized trial increases serum total osteocalcin levels and improves serum lipid profiles in postmenopausal women with osteopenia.

Objectives: Osteoporosis is a skeletal disorder characterized by impaired bone turnover and compromised bone strength, thereby predisposing to increased risk of fracture. Preclinical research has shown that compounds produced by the olive tree (Olea europaea), may protect from bone loss, by increasing osteoblast activity at the expense of adipocyte formation. The aim of this exploratory study was to obtain a first insight on the effect of intake of an olive extract on bone turnover in postmenopausal women with decreased bone mass (osteopenia).