Dried Plums Prevent Ovariectomy-Induced Bone Loss in Rats

JOURNAL: Journal of the American Nutraceutical Association 4 (2001): 50-56

AUTHORS: Arjmandi, B.H., Lucas, E.A., Juma, S., Soliman, A., Stoecker, B.J., Khalil, D.A., Smith, B. J. and Wang, C.

In an animal model of hormone deficiency, female rats were fed dried plums at 5 percent and 25 percent (w/w) of the diet. Ovariectomy significantly reduced bone mineral density of the 4th lumbar vertebrae and femurs and decreased trabecular bone area of the tibia. The high dose dried plum diet prevented this bone loss and the dried plum diet’s dose dependently enhanced circulating IGF-I, known to stimulate bone formation.