Mediterranean diet helps improve bone health in adults

Adults who adhere to a Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) achieve a small but significant increase in bone mineral density (BMD) at the lumbar spine, femoral neck, hip, trochanter, and whole body, a recent study has shown.

A team of investigators identified relevant observational studies from the databases of PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science up to 4 March 2021. They then performed a random-effects dose-response meta-analysis to estimate the change in total and regional-specific BMD for a 2-point increase in the score of adherence to the MedDiet, as well as to clarify the shape of these associations.

The final analyses included seven cross-sectional and one cohort studies, which consisted of 13,209 participants in total.

Each 2-point increment in the score of adherence to the MedDiet correlated with 0.009 gr/cm² (95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.002‒0.018; I², 34 percent; n=7) higher BMD of lumbar spine, 0.006 gr/cm² (95 percent CI, 0.001‒0.012; I², 34 percent; n=7) femoral neck, 0.005 gr/cm² (95 percent CI, 0.003‒0.007; I², 1 percent; n=4) hip, 0.005 gr/cm² (95 percent CI, 0.002‒0.008; I², 0 percent; n=3) trochanter, and 0.005 gr/cm² (95 percent CI, 0.003‒0.007; I², 1 percent; n=4) whole body.

A positive linear association was observed between score of adherence to MedDiet and BMD of hip and trochanter, while a nonlinear association was noted for lumbar spine, femoral neck, and whole body, which showed sharper increase in the BMD at lower MedDiet scores.

These associations persisted even after controlling for confounders such as body weight, physical activity, smoking status, and energy intake.

“Adopting a Mediterranean-style eating pattern may have modest beneficial effects on bone health,” the investigators said.