The effectivness of daily consumption of 50 g dried plum on improving indices of bone turnover in osteopenic postmenopausal women (1027.5)

Our findings in osteopenic postmenopausal women indicated that daily consumption of 100 g dried plum for one year is highly effective in increasing bone mineral density as well as improving the indices of bone turnover. The objective of our current study was to examine whether 50 g dried plum will be as effective as 100 g dried plum in reversing bone loss in osteopenic older postmenopausal women. Forty five osteopenic 65 to 79 year old women were randomly assigned into one of the three groups: 1) 50 g dried plum; 2) 100 g dried plum; and 3) control. All groups received 500 mg calcium and 400 IU vitamin D daily. Blood samples were collected at baseline, 3‐, and 6‐month to assess bone biomarkers and bone metabolism measurements. Physical activity recall and 3‐day food records were obtained at baseline, 3‐, and 6‐month to examine physical activity and dietary confounders as potential covariates. Initial preliminary analyses of bone specific alkaline phosphatase (BAP; a marker of bone formation) showed increase at 3‐months and 6‐months in 50 g and 100 g dried plum groups. Interestingly, tartrate resistant acid phosphatase‐5b (TRAP5b, a marker of bone resorption) decreased at 3‐months and 6‐months intervals in 50 g and 100 g dried plum groups. These results even though preliminary suggest that 50 g dried plum possibly could be as effective as 100 g dried plum in reversing bone loss in older osteopenic postmenopausal women.