Chocolate

Chocolate and Bone Health

Consuming chocolate daily may weaken bones and increase the risk of osteoporosis and associated complications in older women, a new study reports.

Researchers from the University of Western Australia School of Medicine and Pharmacology and Western Australian Institute for Medical Research in Perth, Australia, explained that nutrition is important for the development and maintenance of bone structure and for the prevention of osteoporosis and fracture.

Osteoporosis is a disease of the bones that makes them weak and prone to fracture. Osteoporosis is considered a silent disease, because bone loss itself is gradual and painless. There are usually no symptoms to indicate that a person is developing osteoporosis early in the condition.
In the United States, about eight million women and two million men have osteoporosis. Those over the age of 50 are at greatest risk of developing osteoporosis and suffering related fractures. In this age group, one in two women and one in six men will suffer an osteoporosis-related fracture at some point in their life.

The study investigated the relation of chocolate consumption with measurements of whole-body and regional bone density and strength. Researchers randomly selected 1,460 women aged 70-85 years from the general population for a randomized controlled trial of calcium supplementation and fracture risk. They presented a cross-sectional analysis of 1,001 of the women; bone density and strength were measured with the use of dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, peripheral quantitative computed tomography and quantitative ultrasonography. Frequency of chocolate intake was assessed with the use of a questionnaire and condensed into three categories: less than one time/week, 1-6 times/week and greater than or equal to one time/day.

The researchers discovered that higher frequency of chocolate consumption was related to lower bone density and strength. Daily consumption of chocolate, in comparison to less than once a week, was associated with a 3.1 percent lower whole-body bone density; with similarly lower bone density of the total hip, femoral neck, tibia and heel; and with lower bone strength in the tibia and the heel.

The study authors concluded that older women who consume chocolate daily had lower bone density and strength. They suggested that additional cross-sectional and longitudinal studies are needed to confirm these observations and that confirmation of these findings could have important implications for the prevention of osteoporotic fracture.

References

1.Hodgson JM, Devine A, Burke V, et al. Chocolate consumption and bone density in older women. Am J Clin Nutr. 2008 Jan;87(1):175-80. View Abstract.

2.Natural Standard Research Collaboration: The Authority on Integrative Medicine. http://www.naturalstandard.com/. Copyright © 2008.

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