Preserving bone health with diet, exercise

An intervention combining the Mediterranean diet with physical activity could help support bone mineral density in older women.

In a study published in JAMA Network Open, researchers randomly assigned 924 older adults with metabolic syndrome and overweight or obesity to follow an intervention consisting of energy-reduced Mediterranean diet and increased physical activity or standard Mediterranean diet without caloric restrictions and no physical activity recommendations.

After a follow-up of three years, the researchers found that the participants in the intervention group experienced protective effects on their lumbar spine, total femur and femoral trochanter bone mineral density. The association was observed specifically among women; however, the men and women in the intervention group achieved greater weight loss compared with those in the control group.

The findings demonstrated the feasibility of the diet and physical activity intervention in strengthening bone health among older women at risk of age-related bone mineral density decline.

Read more: JAMA Network Open

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