Calcium intake in Asian countries, including China, India, Japan, and South Korea, is reported to be “very low” (ranging from 300 to 600 mg per day) and is associated with a higher risk of fractures in older women. There is.
During the menopausal transition as estrogen levels decline, it is especially important to get enough nutrients essential for bone health, such as calcium and vitamin D.
Milk and dairy products are excellent sources of calcium, but the high incidence of lactose malabsorption in Asians poses a major hurdle, highlighting the urgent need for alternative sources of calcium for this population. It has become.
Carotenoids are abundant in brightly colored fruits and vegetables. For example, green vegetables such as spinach are rich in xanthophylls such as lutein, orange vegetables such as carrots are rich in beta-carotene, and red vegetables and fruits such as tomatoes and watermelon are rich in lycopene.
Eggshells are mainly composed of calcium carbonate, and are said to contain approximately 39% calcium.
At the same time, the home meal replacement (HMR) sector is growing rapidly due to aging populations and increasing numbers of single-person households around the world. HMR is a partially or fully cooked meal solution for easy consumption at home.
A randomized, double-blind, controlled intervention study was conducted by Korean researchers to examine the effects of eggshell and vitamin D-fortified HMR on BMD in postmenopausal women.
The study was funded by the Ottogiham Daebo Foundation, established by South Korean food manufacturing giant Ottogi Corporation.
Participants aged 50 to 64 were randomly assigned to two groups for a six-month intervention.
The treatment group received three ready-to-heat HMRs each week consisting of curry, black bean sauce, and sweet pumpkin porridge fortified with eggshell powder and vitamin D. This group was the only one in which tomatoes were added to the curry.
The control group had the same HMR but was not enriched.
Participants who agreed to continue in the study took the same HMR every week for an additional six months. In total, 25 participants completed his 6-month trial and 11 completed her 12-month intervention.
At baseline, calcium and vitamin D intakes were inadequate in both groups.
The average content of calcium and vitamin D in the study diets was 609.4 mg and 24.1 μg, respectively. During the intervention period, the participant ultimately received an additional 261 mg of calcium and 10.3 μg of vitamin D per day from HMR.
In particular, the total calcium intake in the treatment group was 931mg/day and vitamin D was 13.5μg/day, which met the recommended intakes for Koreans of 800mg/day and 10μg/day, respectively.
We also found that after consuming the enhanced HMR for 6 months, the decrease in femoral neck BMD in the treatment group was significantly smaller than that in the control group (p = 0.035).
There were no significant differences in other bone markers between the two groups.
“Our study demonstrated that taking HMR fortified with eggshell powder and vitamin D three times a week for six months to one year effectively prevented the rapid decline in BMD at the femoral neck in postmenopausal women.
“This shows that a daily diet containing adequate amounts of natural calcium and vitamin D can reduce bone loss and fractures in people who are susceptible to calcium and vitamin D deficiencies, and in people who do not regularly consume milk and dairy products. This suggests that there is a possibility of prevention. the researchers wrote.
According to the researchers, their findings are consistent with previous studies reporting beneficial effects of vitamin and mineral supplements formulated with chicken eggshell powder.
“However, our study is the first to successfully prevent bone loss through a regular diet fortified with chicken eggshell powder and vitamin D, rather than through supplements, in a population with inadequate intakes of calcium and vitamin D.” We believe this may be a better dietary strategy to ensure sustainable calcium intake. ”
Functional HMR opportunities
Recent studies have shown that the incidence of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women is 38.4% in Korea and 30.3% in China.
Diet plays an important role in bone health. With health and wellness trends increasing the demand for functional, customized HMRs, these products could be an approach to increasing intake of bone-supporting nutrients.
Of note, the HMR selected for this study was well tolerated by all participants, and no adverse events were found.
The results also showed that eggshells, a “cheap source of calcium”, could be a good alternative for people who have difficulty consuming milk and dairy products.
In addition, carotenoids are known for their biological activities, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and macular degeneration.
In this study, serum lutein and beta-carotene concentrations increased significantly in both the control and treatment groups, which may be due to the lutein-rich sweet pumpkin porridge.
Additionally, serum lycopene levels were significantly increased only in the treatment group that consumed curry with tomato.
“Given that tomatoes were only added to the study diet of the treatment group and that lycopene has previously been shown to prevent bone loss in animal models, it is unlikely that lycopene has a beneficial effect on bone health. Don’t overlook the possibilities.”
Nonetheless, this study was limited by the small number of participants and the lack of quantitative measures of participants’ physical activity.
“It has been confirmed that interventions that include prevention of sarcopenia and exercise have beneficial effects on bone health. We are currently conducting another intervention study to find answers about the effects of diet and exercise.
“Large-scale intervention trials are needed to assess the effects of varying amounts of eggshell powder and vitamin D-containing foods on bone health in different age groups. Investigations into the complementary effects of tomatoes would also be valuable. will provide information.” the researchers concluded.
Source: Nutrients
https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16081152
“Home Meal Replacement Fortified with Eggshell Powder and Vitamin D Prevents Osteoporosis in Postmenopausal Women: A Randomized, Double-Blind Controlled Trial.”
Author: Namseok Choo et al.
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