NEWS
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Emma heads Nutritional Insight Ltd, an independent consultancy to industry, government and PR agencies. An avid writer for academic journals and media, her specialist areas are maternal nutrition, child nutrition and functional foods. www.nutritionalinsight.co.uk @DrDerbyshire
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BruceBlaus
Dr Emma Derbyshire Independent Consultant
OSTEOPOROSIS PREVENTION: A WHOLEFOODS APPROACH Osteoporosis is a silent and progressive disease affecting the density and quality of bone which, in turn, increases fracture risk. Figures from the International Osteoporosis Foundation reveal that around one in three women and one in five men are at risk of an osteoporotic fracture with wrist, hip and spine fractures being most common. The underpinning causes of osteoporosis are indeed multifaceted with hormone milieu, genetic and environmental factors all having a role to play. Modifiable lifestyle factors also have a valuable role to play in osteoporosis prevention, where the whole diet can play its own part. A new paper published in EFORT Open Reviews looked at evidence from 20 trials evaluating the role of wholefoods on bone health. Whilst it is well recognised that calcium and vitamin D are important bone nutrients, less is known about the roles that other aspects of the diet can play. Some of the main findings include the following: • Fruit and veg continues to be under consumed, yet also provides important micronutrients and phytochemicals that are useful for bone remodeling. • There is emerging evidence that dried fruits, such as prunes, could help to support bone health, mainly by providing meaningful amounts of vitamin K, manganese, boron, copper and potassium. • It appears that just 50g prunes daily could help to reduce bone breakdown after six months when eaten by postmenopausal women with osteopenia. • Nutrients such as selenium, copper and iron may have roles in bone health too. • We should aim to eat a healthy, varied and balanced diet throughout the lifespan, but especially during sensitive windows of bone turnover. The paper was aimed at orthopaedic surgeons who would like to better understand the role of nutrition in osteoporosis prevention. When taken together, a spectrum of nutrients are needed for bone health, not just calcium and vitamin D. Alongside this, phytonutrients and bioactives in foods also appear to have an increasingly important role to play. So, a wholefoods approach, rather than singling out certain vitamins and minerals, seems to be a more assured way of preventing osteoporosis. For further information, see: Higgs J, Derbyshire E and Styles K (2017). Nutrition and osteoporosis prevention for the orthopaedic surgeon: a wholefoods approach. EFORT Open Reviews 2; pg 300-308.
SUPPLEMENTS FOR SCHIZOPHRENIA? It has been shown that certain vitamins and minerals may act as an ‘adjunctive’ (supporting treatment) to antipsychotics, possibly by helping to restore nutritional deficits, lower oxidative stress or altering neurological pathways. Now, a new paper has looked at which supplements, in particular, could be most effective. Data from 18 randomised controlled trials was pooled (832 patients). Results showed that 6
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supplementation with B vitamins helped to significantly reduce psychiatric symptoms more than controls. No effects, however, were seen from antioxidants, minerals or inositol. These are interesting findings indicating that B vitamin supplementation could act as a helpful adjunctive therapy to those diagnosed with schizophrenia. For further information, see: Firth J et al (2017). Psychol Med Vol 47, no 9; pg 1515-27.