High Serum Carotenoids Associated with Lower Risk for Bone Loss and Osteoporosis in Post-Menopausal Japanese Female Subjects: Prospective Cohort Study

Abstract

IntroductionRecent epidemiological studies show that high intakes of carotenoids might be useful to maintain bone health, but little is known about the association of serum carotenoids with change of bone mineral density (BMD). The objective of this study was to investigate longitudinally whether serum carotenoids are associated with bone loss.MethodsWe conducted a follow-up on 146 male and 99 pre- and 212 post-menopausal female subjects from the Mikkabi study. Those who participated in previous BMD surveys and completed four years of follow-up were examined longitudinally.ResultsDuring a 4-year follow-up, 15 of the post-menopausal female subjects developed new-onset osteoporosis. In contrast, none of the male and pre-menopausal female subjects did. In male and pre-menopausal female subjects, the six serum carotenoids at the baseline were not associated with bone loss. On the other hand, in post-menopausal female subjects, the 4-year bone loss of radius was inversely associated with the serum carotenoid concentrations, especially in β-carotene. After adjustments for confounders, the odds ratios (OR) for osteoporosis in the highest tertiles of serum β-carotene and β-cryptoxanthin against the lowest tertiles were 0.24 (95% confidence interval 0.05–1.21) and 0.07 (CI: 0.01–0.88), respectively. Serum β-cryptoxanthin was also inversely associated with the risk for osteopenia and/or osteoporosis (P for trend, 0.037). In addition, our retrospective analysis revealed that subjects who developed osteoporosis and/or osteopenia during the survey period had significantly lower serum concentrations of β-cryptoxanthin and β-carotene at the baseline than those in the normal group.ConclusionsAntioxidant carotenoids, especially β-cryptoxanthin and β-carotene, are inversely associated with the change of radial BMD in post-menopausal female subjects.

Lutein Enhances Bone Mass by Stimulating Bone Formation and Suppressing Bone Resorption in Growing Mice

“…9) In OVX mice, the administration of lutein partly restored the bone loss due to estrogen deficiency (data not shown), but further studies are needed to define the possible role of lutein in the prevention of postmenopausal osteoporosis. Sugiura et al 17,18) reported that the intake of a Japanese citrus containing β-cryptoxanthin was related to bone density in postmenopausal women. Lutein is synthesized and accumulated in green leafy plants such as spinach and kale.…”

The Relationship Between Vitamin A and Risk of Fracture: Meta-Analysis of Prospective Studies

“…Thus, a high dose of retinol will increase the risk of hip fracture. Sugiura and colleagues reported that people with high serum beta‐carotene had less developed osteoporosis than those with a low level of serum beta‐carotene. In their study, osteoporosis was defined as a person whose T ‐score (which shows how a subject's BMD compares with the young adult mean) is less than 70%, according to the guidelines on the management of osteoporosis by the Japan Osteoporosis Society .…”

“…(28) Thus, a high dose of retinol will increase the risk of hip fracture. Sugiura and colleagues (29) reported that people with Fig. 2.…”

Effects of daidzein and kiwifruit on bone mineral density and equol production in ovariectomised rats

“…Ishimi et al (1999) reported that physiological concentrations of carotenoids may induce positive bone turnover by inhibiting osteoclast formation in vitro. Moreover, several recent epidemiological reports have shown an inverse association between carotenoid intake or serum level with low BMD, risk of fracture and/or risk of osteoporosis (Sahni et al, 2009a;Sugiura et al, 2012). In addition, kiwifruit contains polyphenols such as catechin and chlorogenic acid.…”