Off Topic: Can 10 Prunes a Day Reverse Osteoporosis? Rats Say Yes!

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FSU study: Can prunes reverse bone loss after menopause?

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Could a handful of nutrient-rich dried plums

each day help keep the doctor away by actually reversing bone loss

in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis or osteoarthritis? A

unique clinical study under way in the Florida State University

College of Human Sciences means to find out.

FSU Professor Bahram H. Arjmandi is the principal investigator and a

nationally recognized expert on the effects of " functional foods "

(dietary components that may provide a health benefit beyond basic

nutrition) on chronic diseases. His previous studies found that

dried plums -- better known as prunes -- restored lost bone in

animal models of osteoporosis, and improved biomarkers linked to

bone formation in postmenopausal women.

Expanding the range of effective treatment options for osteoporosis

is critical: 10 million Americans already have the silent but

debilitating disease; another 34 million are at risk. Postmenopausal

women are particularly susceptible to fractures due to osteoporotic

bone loss -- and up to 20 percent of that loss can occur within just

five to seven years after menopause.

Why prunes? " While drug therapies are available for the treatment of

osteoporosis, they can be prohibitively expensive and are not

without side effects; hence long-term adherence to these therapies

is low, " Arjmandi said. " Furthermore, many women prefer to modify

their lifestyle and dietary practices in order to prevent fracture

due to osteoporosis. "

Chair of FSU's nutrition, food and exercise sciences department

since joining the faculty last summer, Arjmandi has spearheaded the

current research with funding from the U.S. Department of

Agriculture.

And in a highly unusual twist, no one in this sweet study gets a

placebo. " Our FSU research is unique in that all participants, women

between two and 10 years postmenopausal, can hope to potentially

benefit in some manner, " Arjmandi said.

" During this 12-month investigation, half the women will supplement

their daily diets with nine to ten dried plums, totaling 100 grams.

The other half will consume a comparable portion of dried apples,

which also have known health benefits. For instance, several studies

indicate that a daily helping of pectin-rich apples can help lower

triglycerides and cholesterol levels, " he said.

Participants in both treatment groups will be required to take 500

milligrams of calcium and 200 units of vitamin D daily; undergo

blood and urine testing every three months; and have their bone

mineral density measured at the beginning and end of the study using

dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, or " iDXA " (eye-DEX-uh), the latest

in whole-body scanning technology.

Meanwhile, hopes are high for those plums. In a 2004 study he led

while at Oklahoma State University, Arjmandi found that a diet

supplemented with dried plums produced significant restoration of

bone mass in female rats whose ovaries had been surgically removed.

" I've never seen results that were more consistent, " he said. " If

the findings from FSU's human study are similarly positive and

reproducible, they could help researchers isolate the compounds

responsible. From there, it may be possible to create a safe, low-

cost alternative or adjunct to prescription medications for

osteoporosis. "

While eating the fruit itself is the best way to benefit from

potent, concentrated plant-based chemicals such as polyphenols,

supplemental forms are useful when fruit isn't consistently

available or consumed in sufficient amounts, Arjmandi said. And when

it comes to plums and apples, only a few varieties provide optimal

health benefits in dried form.

Joining Arjmandi as a co-investigator is Dr. Brummel-,

chair of geriatrics at the FSU College of Medicine. Members of the

nutrition, food and exercise sciences department research team

include post-doctoral fellow Latha Devareddy; doctoral student

Shirin Hooshmand, the study coordinator; and master's degree

students Raz Saadat and Kellie Adkins.

" Given its rapidly growing and aging population, the state of

Florida has been an ideal location for this research, " said

Arjmandi. Further studies are in the works. " Currently, my

colleagues and I are preparing a major proposal for the National

Institutes of Health that exceeds $1.5 million, which would enable a

longer, more extensive dried plum investigation in both male and

female animal models of osteoporosis. "

During the past year, the FSU College of Human Sciences and its

nutrition, food and exercise sciences department have markedly

expanded clinical research into the effects of specific nutrients on

key markers of postmenopausal health. In addition to Arjmandi's

study, FSU Professor Jasminka Ilich is leading the largest, longest

study to-date on the efficacy of calcium –– through dairy products,

supplements or both –– for weight reduction and bone preservation in

overweight or obese postmenopausal Caucasian women.

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Women who are two to 10 years postmenopausal and wish to learn more

about participation in Arjmandi's dried plum study can call (800)

951-4490. To learn more about FSU's nationally top-10 ranked College

of Human Sciences, visit the Web site: http://www.chs.fsu.edu/.