Increased consumption of vegetables potentially benefits bone health in obese adults: Study

In total, 102 adults (19 males and 83 females, age 18–65 y, BMI ≥25 kg/m2) consuming ≤1 serving of vegetables (128 g raw leafy or 64 g cooked vegetables) per d were recruited in a 2-arm, parallel, randomized, controlled, and community-based 8-wk feeding intervention trial. The 2 arms included a vegetable intervention (VI) during which participants received extra vegetables (∼270 g/d) and an attention control (CON) group that conducted only the testing visits. Measurements included nutrient intake, plasma carotenoids, and bone-related markers in serum and urine. Differences between CON and VI at week 8 were tested using the ANCOVA with baseline values as a covariate.

The Results of the study are as follows:

Compared with CON, carotenoid intake (mean ± SD) was higher (6.4 ± 3.4 compared with 2.0 ± 1.2 mg/d) (P < 0.01) and dietary potential renal acid load was lower (20 ± 13 compared with 3.4 ± 14 mEq/d) (P < 0.01) in VI. Compared with CON at week 8, urine titratable acid and Mg were 24 and 26% lower, respectively, while urine pH was 3% greater (P < 0.05) and serum C-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen (CTX) was 19% lower in VI. There were no group differences in serum concentrations of propeptide of type 1 procollagen and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase or urinary excretion of deoxypyridinoline and CTX.

Thus, the researchers concluded that consumption of vegetables at the DGA-recommended amount by adults with low vegetable intake potentially benefits bone health. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT02585102.

Reference:

Increasing Vegetable Intake Decreases Urinary Acidity and Bone Resorption Marker in Overweight and Obese Adults: An 8-Week Randomized Controlled Trial by Jay J Cao et al. published in the Journal of Nutrition.

https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/nxab255