Eating fruits and vegetables may help build stronger bones in children. Researchers from the University of Saskatchewan in Canada found that boys, who ate fruits and vegetables, showed the greatest accumulation of minerals in their bones throughout childhood and adolescence. Higher bone mineral content translates to denser and stronger bones. Boys who exercised more and consumed more calcium also developed stronger bones. Adolescence is the prime time for building bone mass, children don't take enough calcium for optimum bone strength. Failing to form strong bones in youth boosts the risk of problems later on, such as the brittle bone disease - osteoporosis. The researching team followed 85 boys and 67 girls aged 8 to 20 years over a seven-year period. Study participants were surveyed on their diet and their height and weight were measured every six months, while annual bone densitometry was done to check their total bone mineral content dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scan. While most of the study participants consumed enough dairy products, it was found that most did not eat recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables. The researchers found that boys who consumed 10 servings of fruit and vegetables a day would wind up accumulating nearly 49 grams more mineral content in their bones than boys who just ate a single serving. The popularity of sugar-loaded beverages like sodas and fruit drinks means that young people are drinking less milk, which is the main source of calcium in young people's diet. While the study found no link between fruit and vegetable consumption and bone density among girls, researchers pointed out that other research has found that girls who eat more fruit and vegetables have denser bones. Their study might have missed the effect in females, because girls, especially teens, are known to underreport their food consumption. In addition to containing calcium, fruit and vegetables are rich in minerals required to control levels of acid in the body and thus prevent bone loss. Plant foods also contain vitamin K, a nutrient necessary for the formation of bone cells. There are lifetime beneficial effects of fruit and vegetables on bone mass, which can extend beyond the skeleton. Good dietary habits in youth tend to be maintained as people get older and can help protect against obesity and chronic illness linked to excess weight such as type II diabetes and heart disease.
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition,
September 2005