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Nutrition

Effect of vegetables on bone metabolism

Nature volume 401, pages 343–344 (1999)Cite this article

Abstract

Fractures caused by osteoporosis are a major burden to health care1. Attempts to prevent osteoporosis through diet have had little success: calcium consumed in dairy products has only a small effect on the risk of hip fractures2, and soy, a rich source of phytoestrogens that has been proposed as an alternative to oestrogen treatment3, has not yet been shown to be effective in humans. Here we show that a variety of salads, herbs and cooked vegetables that are common in the human diet can alter bone metabolism in rats.

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Figure 1: Effect of foodstuffs and the hormone calcitonin on bone resorption as assessed by the urinary excretion of previously administered radiolabelled tetracycline8,9,10.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Clinical Research, Bone Biology Group, University of Bern, Murtenstrasse 35, Bern, 3010, Switzerland

    Roman C. Mühlbauer & Feng Li

Authors
  1. Roman C. Mühlbauer
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  2. Feng Li
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Mühlbauer, R., Li, F. Effect of vegetables on bone metabolism. Nature 401, 343–344 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1038/43824

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