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Aside from existing drug therapies, certain lifestyle and nutritional factors are known to reduce the risk of osteoporosis. Among the nutritional factors, dried plum or prunes (Prunus domestica L.) is the most effective fruit in both preventing and reversing bone loss. The objective of the present study was to examine the extent to which dried plum reverses bone loss in osteopenic postmenopausal women. We recruited 236 women, 1 -10 years postmenopausal, not on hormone replacement therapy or any other prescribed medication known to influence bone metabolism. Qualified participants (n 160) were randomly assigned to one of the two treatment groups: dried plum (100 g/d) or dried apple (comparative control). Participants received 500 mg Ca plus 400 IU (10 mg) vitamin D daily. Bone mineral density (BMD) of lumbar spine, forearm, hip and whole body was assessed at baseline and at the end of the study using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Blood samples were collected at baseline, 3, 6 and 12 months to assess bone biomarkers. Physical activity recall and 1-week FFQ were obtained at baseline, 3, 6 and 12 months to examine physical activity and dietary confounders as potential covariates. Dried plum significantly increased BMD of ulna and spine in comparison with dried apple. In comparison with corresponding baseline values, only dried plum significantly decreased serum levels of bone turnover markers including bone-specific alkaline phosphatase and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase-5b. The findings of the present study confirmed the ability of dried plum in improving BMD in postmenopausal women in part due to suppressing the rate of bone turnover. Key words: Osteoporosis: Dried plums: Clinical trialsOsteoporosis is a major public health problem in postmenopausal women. In the USA alone, eight million women have osteoporosis that results in more than one million fractures per year in women who are 45 years and older (1) . The cost of treating osteoporosis and its fractures has been estimated to be over $19 billion/year. Although there are a number of agents available for the treatment and/or prevention of osteoporosis, some patients have contraindications to using them or prefer alternative therapies including dietary supplements and functional foods (2) . Studies have consistently shown that a higher fruit and vegetable intake has positive effects on bone mineral density (BMD) (3 -7) . Muhlbauer et al. (8) examined the effects of a number of fruits and vegetables on bone resorption by assessing the urinary excretion of 3 H released from bone, and showed that dried plum (8) among fruits and onion among vegetables were the most effective functional foods with bone-modulating effects. To our knowledge, Muhlbauer et al. (8) were the first group who showed that prunes (dried plums) have the ability to prevent osteoporosis by inhibiting bone resorption. To follow up on Muhlbauer's findings, our laboratory conducted several animal studies and a 3-month clinical trial. The results of these studies showed that dried...

Background: While chronic β-Hydroxy β-Methylbutyrate (HMB) supplementation (≥ 2 wk) lowers exercise induced muscle damage, its acute or timing effects have not been examined. The purpose of this study was to investigate the acute and timing effects of oral HMB supplementation on serum creatine kinase (CK), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), muscle soreness, and maximal voluntary contraction (MVC).

Decline in estrogen levels in postmenopausal women is associated with unfavorable changes in lipid profiles and markers of inflammation placing them at a higher risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD). The present short‐term study examined the effects of daily consumption of 75 g dried apples on lipid profiles, independent atherogenic risk factors including lipoprotein (a) [Lp(a)] and high‐sensitive C‐reactive protein (hs‐CRP), in postmenopausal women. Fifty‐five postmenopausal women not on hormone replacement therapy consumed 75 g of dried apple daily for three months. Overnight fasting blood was collected at baseline and at the end of three months. The findings suggest that CVD protective effect of apple consumption is beyond improving lipid profiles (TC, LDL‐C, and TG) as evident by significant reductions in serum levels of Lp (a) (21±3.2 vs. 19±3.1 ) and hs‐CRP (1.8±0.16 vs. 1.3±0.17). Future studies are warranted to investigate the long‐term favorable effects of apple or its bioactive components consumption in improving endothelial function which is compromised as a result of aging.Grant Funding SourceAbstract submitted to the competition shall just have a title and the abstract body and nothing else

Obese individuals hold an increased risk of chronic diseases such as CVD. We reported that a relationship exists between BMI and indices of CVD risk in postmenopausal women. To investigate the relationship between BMI and chronic diseases, we measured CRP level, a marker of inflammation, in 132 postmenopausal women. Participants were divided into three groups based on their BMI values: 1) normal (18.5–24.9); 2) overweight (25–29.9); and 3) obese (>30). BMI was positively correlated with CRP. In addition, overweight and obese individuals had higher serum levels of CRP compared to individuals with normal BMI. In contrast to existing relationship of higher BMI and higher incidence of chronic diseases, studies have shown that osteoporosis is the only chronic disease that has negative correlation with BMI. To investigate this relation, we evaluated the correlation between BMI and BMD in this population. BMI was positively correlated with BMD which means a negative correlation with osteoporosis; however, when we examined the correlation between BMD and components of body composition including fat mass and lean mass; BMD was highly correlated with lean mass but not with fat mass. Although these data supports the notion that individuals with higher BMI have lower risk of osteoporosis, break down of body composition clearly demonstrate that the credit for this correlation should be given to lean mass and not fat mass. Grant Funding Source: USDA

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Although hypercholesterolemia (HC) is regarded as a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD), approximately 50% of Americans die from CVD without ever having HC. People often limit their egg consumption to reduce their cholesterol intake, in turn also depriving themselves of other nutrients known to have positive effects on overall CVD health. The objective of the present study was to examine the degree to which CVD risk factors were influenced by egg consumption. In a cross‐sectional study, 146 healthy, postmenopausal women were divided into 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th quartiles, respectively (<1 egg/week, 1 egg/week, 2–6 eggs/week, and >7 eggs/week). Overnight fasting measurements included lipid profiles, glucose, and inflammatory markers. Pearson correlation coefficients were used to determine the relationship between variables of interest. The 2nd quartile was associated with increased HDL‐C levels (82±3 mg/dL) and reduced TG levels (78±5 mg/dL). The 4th quartile was associated with reduced TG levels (93±20 mg/dL), and all other variables, including TC, were not correlated. These findings suggest that egg dietary cholesterol does not cause HC and may not be indicated in the development of CVD. Source of funding: USDA/NRI.