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Vegetable and fruit consumption and its association with bone turnover biomarkers in older adults

Farhang Djafari (Department of Community Nutrition, School of Nutritional Sciences and Dietetics, Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS), Tehran, Iran)
Hossein Shahinfar (Department of Community Nutrition, School of Nutritional Sciences and Dietetics, Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS), Tehran, Iran)
Maryam Safabakhsh (Department of Community Nutrition, School of Nutritional Sciences and Dietetics, Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS), Tehran, Iran)
Sakineh Shab-Bidar (Department of Community Nutrition, School of Nutritional Sciences and Dietetics, Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS), Tehran, Iran)

Nutrition & Food Science

ISSN: 0034-6659

Article publication date: 18 March 2020

Issue publication date: 28 October 2020

127

Abstract

Purpose

Fruits and vegetables (FVs) are a good source of substances that contributed to bone health. However, the relation of FVs consumption with inflammation and bone biomarkers is inconsistent. Thus, this paper aims to assess the association of FVs intake with inflammation and bone biomarkers in older adults.

Design/methodology/approach

This cross-sectional study was performed on 178 older adults in Tehran, with a mean age of 67.04. Biochemical measurements including serum osteocalcin, high sensitivity c-reactive protein, 25-hydroxyvitamin D 25(OH) D, parathormone and urine terminal telopeptide of Type I collagen (u-CTx) was done. The intake of FVs was calculated using a validated quantitative food frequency questionnaire.

Findings

Pearson correlation coefficients showed a positive relation between serum osteocalcin and total vegetables (r = 0.167, p = 0.026), juices group (r = 0.155, p = 0.035), starchy vegetables (r = 0.205, p = 0.006) and other vegetable group (r = 0.161, p = 0.032) even after controlling of potential confounders. Analysis of covariance showed that total vegetable were significantly associated with serum osteocalcin (p = 0.041) and PTH levels (p = 0.028). Additionally, no evidence of a significant relationship between total fruit intake and test variables was observed. However, subgroup analyses demonstrated a significant association between citrus fruits and serum 25(OH) D (p = 0.017). A significant relation between starchy vegetable and urine CTx-I was reported (p = 0.016). Moreover, other vegetable subgroup was strongly associated with serum osteocalcin (p = 0.003).

Originality/value

The results of this paper may provide insight for clinical interventions and also important to make policy for prevention or easing bone disorders and general inflammation related to fruit and vegetable intake.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

Compliance with Ethical Standards.

Conflict of Interest: The author declares that he/she has no conflict of interest.

Funding: None.

Ethical approval: All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were under the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed consent: Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Citation

Djafari, F., Shahinfar, H., Safabakhsh, M. and Shab-Bidar, S. (2020), "Vegetable and fruit consumption and its association with bone turnover biomarkers in older adults", Nutrition & Food Science, Vol. 50 No. 6, pp. 1187-1197. https://doi.org/10.1108/NFS-11-2019-0331

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited

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