Consuming milk and other dairy products may be the most common way to strengthen bones, but it is not the only way. Studies show that foods containing phytochemicals, the many hundreds of chemicals that occur naturally in plants, can help prevent several medical conditions, including osteopenia and osteoporosis. These conditions, commonly seen in older women and some men, involve loss of bone density, which may lead to fractures and breaks. Among the most significant classes of phytochemicals that may help build bone are carotenoids, isoflavones, flavonoids and allyl sulfides.
Carotenoids
According to data collected for the Framingham Osteoporosis Study and published in the January 2009 issue of the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition," the phytochemicals called carotenoids have a positive impact on bone density. Researchers studied 213 men and 340 women over the age of 75 for four years and concluded that increased consumption of foods containing carotenoids -- specifically more than 10.4 mg of lycopene daily -- protected against bone loss in women. Foods rich in lycopene include tomatoes, watermelon, red and pink grapefruit and red cabbage.
Isoflavones
With menopause, women experience reduced levels of estrogen, a hormone that prevents bone density loss. The phytoestrogens in certain plants are chemically similar to estrogen, and have the potential to assist with bone health. Among these phytochemicals, isoflavones -- found in soybeans and soybean products such as tofu, tempeh and edamame -- may help to build bone. Women in Asia who eat more soy foods, for example, experience much lower rates of osteoporosis than women in Western nations, according to Berkeley Wellness Alerts. Much of the research on soy and bone density has had mixed results, however, and most studies have concentrated on supplementation rather than consumption of soy foods. More studies are needed to draw a conclusive link between soy and bone health.
Flavonoids
Green and black teas are good sources of flavonoids, another type of phytochemical. Research published in the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition" in 2000 drew a strong connection between tea drinking and bone health. The study looked at 1,256 women, both tea drinkers and non-tea drinkers, in Cambridge, England, from 65 to 76 years of age for the possible effects of tea on bone density in the spine and femoral neck, among other sites. The data found that the tea drinkers had greater bone mineral density, or BMD, than those who did not drink tea, leading the researchers to conclude that the flavonoids in tea may promote bone density.
Allyl Sulfides
Allyl sulfides are phytochemicals present in onions and garlic that may prove beneficial to bone health, One study, published in the journal "Menopause" in 2009, found that onion consumption among non-Hispanic white women ages 50 and older increased bone density. Women in the study who consumed an onion a day or more had 5 percent greater BMD than women who did not eat onions at all, thus significantly decreasing their risk of fractures. In addition, a study published in "Phytotherapy Research" in 2004 found that supplementation with garlic oil suppressed bone loss in rats that had been "ovariectomized" to create responses similar to those for post-menopausal women.
References
- Natural Health Research Institute: Lycopene Improves Bone Health in Women
- Berkeley Wellness Alerts: Soybeans for Bones
- "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition"; Tea drinking and bone mineral density in older women
- Nutrition Reporter: The Color of Health--Why Nutrients Called Flavonoids Are Good for You
- Menopause: The association between onion consumption and bone density in perimenopausal and postmenopausal non-Hispanic white women 50 years and older
- PubMed.gov: Prevention of bone loss by oil extract of garlic (Allium sativum Linn.) in an ovariectomized rat model of osteoporosis
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