Taking more dietary fibre may improve bone health

Higher intake of total dietary fibre and subtypes from various food sources appears to enhance heel bone mineral density (BMD), according to a study. Individuals with lower genetically determined propionate production may benefit from consuming more dietary fibre.

The authors determined whether dietary fibre intake correlated with BMD and the modification effect of genetic variations related to gut microbiota-derived short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). They assessed the associations between dietary fibre intake and estimated BMD derived from heel ultrasound and fractures in 224,630 and 384,134 participants, respectively, from the UK Biobank.

A significant association was observed between greater dietary fibre intake and higher heel BMD (β, 0.0047; p=1.10 × 10^–54). Significant associations were also found for all fibre subtypes including cereal, fruit (dried and raw), and vegetable (cooked and raw; p<0.05 for all).

The benefit of fibre intake was observed in both men and women but was more substantial among men, except for dietary fibre in cooked vegetables (p_interaction<0.05 for all).

Moreover, dietary fibre intake conferred a protective benefit on hip fracture (hazard ratio, 0.94, 95 percent confidence interval, 0.89–0.99; p=3.0 × 10^–2).

Of note, genetically determined SCFA propionate production modified the association between dietary fibre intake and heel BMD (p_interaction=5.1 × 10^–3). Participants with lower genetically determined propionate production were more likely to derive benefit from this protective association.