A healthy lifestyle that combines a Mediterranean diet with regular exercise may help protect bone health in older women, according to a new study from researchers in Spain.
The three-year study found that women who followed this program had less bone loss in their lower back (lumbar spine) compared to those who only followed a general Mediterranean diet without exercise or calorie control.
The study was part of the large PREDIMED-Plus trial, which looks at how lifestyle changes affect health in older adults with metabolic syndrome—a group of conditions like high blood pressure, excess belly fat, and high blood sugar that raise the risk of heart disease and diabetes.
This new research focused on 924 people aged 55 to 75, with nearly half of them being women. All participants had overweight or obesity and were from four study sites in Spain that could measure bone density using a special scan called a DEXA.
Participants were split into two groups. One group followed an energy-reduced Mediterranean diet (meaning they cut their calorie intake by about 30%), exercised more, and received support to help with behavior changes.
The other group continued to follow a traditional Mediterranean diet but without calorie limits or encouragement to be more active.
Over three years, the researchers measured bone density in several areas, including the spine, hip, and thigh bones.
They wanted to see if the intervention could protect against bone loss, which often occurs during weight loss and can raise the risk of fractures, especially in older people.
The main results showed that there were no big differences between the two groups when it came to overall bone density or bone mass.
However, there was a clear benefit for women in the intervention group.
Women who followed the reduced-calorie Mediterranean diet and exercised regularly had stronger bones in their lower back compared to women in the control group. This benefit was not seen in men.
Even when the researchers excluded participants who were taking calcium or vitamin D supplements, the results remained the same.
This suggests the diet and exercise program itself helped protect spinal bone density. In some cases, total bone mass even increased slightly in women who followed the lifestyle plan.
The researchers concluded that a lifestyle program based on a reduced-calorie Mediterranean diet and more physical activity can be a good way for older women to protect their bones while losing weight.
This could be especially helpful as people age and are at greater risk of conditions like osteoporosis.
If you care about health, please read studies about how Mediterranean diet could protect your brain health, and the best time to take vitamins to prevent heart disease.
For more health information, please see recent studies that olive oil may help you live longer, and vitamin D could help lower the risk of autoimmune diseases.
Source: KSR.
