XML Feed for RxPG News   Add RxPG News Headlines to My Yahoo!   Javascript Syndication for RxPG News

Research Health World General
 
  Home
 
 Latest Research
 Cancer
 Psychiatry
 Genetics
 Surgery
 Aging
 Ophthalmology
 Gynaecology
 Neurosciences
 Pharmacology
 Cardiology
 Obstetrics
 Infectious Diseases
 Respiratory Medicine
 Pathology
 Endocrinology
 Immunology
 Nephrology
 Gastroenterology
 Biotechnology
 Radiology
 Dermatology
 Microbiology
 Haematology
 Dental
 ENT
 Environment
 Embryology
 Orthopedics
  Osteoporosis
  Osteomyelitis
 Metabolism
 Anaethesia
 Paediatrics
 Public Health
 Urology
 Musculoskeletal
 Clinical Trials
 Physiology
 Biochemistry
 Cytology
 Traumatology
 Rheumatology
 
 Medical News
 Health
 Opinion
 Healthcare
 Professionals
 Launch
 Awards & Prizes
 
 Careers
 Medical
 Nursing
 Dental
 
 Special Topics
 Euthanasia
 Ethics
 Evolution
 Odd Medical News
 Feature
 
 World News
 Tsunami
 Epidemics
 Climate
 Business
 
 India
Search

Last Updated: Nov 18, 2006 - 12:32:53 PM

Osteoporosis Channel
subscribe to Osteoporosis newsletter

Latest Research : Orthopedics : Osteoporosis

   DISCUSS   |   EMAIL   |   PRINT
Low carbohydrate diet did not increase bone loss
May 25, 2006 - 1:16:00 PM, Reviewed by: Dr. Sanjukta Acharya

"People on low carbohydrate diets absorb less calcium through the gut and excrete more calcium in the urine, so you'd expect they would be leaching their bones."

 
A strict low-carbohydrate diet had no effect on bone loss for adults following an Adkins-type diet for weight loss, a three-month study by rheumatologists at the University of South Florida found.

Low carbohydrate diets have become popular as a weight loss technique; however, critics contend such diets may have harmful side effects. One concern has been that low carbohydrate diets, which replace calories from carbohydrates with more consumption of high-protein foods like meat and eggs, alter the body's acid balance. This imbalance could lead to increased bone turnover (more rapid depletion than formation of bone) -- increasing the risk for osteoporosis.

"That's not what our study found," said lead author John D. Carter, assistant professor in the Division of Rheumatology, USF College of Medicine. "Patients on the low carbohydrate diet did lose weight, but the diet did not appear to compromise bone integrity or lead to bone loss."

Earlier animal studies suggested that low carbohydrate, high protein diets could adversely affect bone quality.

"I was surprised by the results," Dr. Carter said. "People on low carbohydrate diets absorb less calcium through the gut and excrete more calcium in the urine, so you'd expect they would be leaching their bones."

Dr. Carter emphasized he does not advocate strict low-carbohydrates for long-term weight management. Such diets may adversely overload the kidneys with protein and lead dieters to consume more artery-clogging saturated fats and cholesterol, he said.

The USF study followed 30 overweight patients for three months. Half followed a strict low carbohydrate diet � consuming less than 20 grams of carbohydrates a day the first month and then less than 40 grams a day for the remaining two months. The control half ate a normal American diet with no restrictions. The researchers used blood tests to measure the patients' breakdown and formation of bone and checked urine for signs that the dieters were complying with their low-carbohydrate diets.

The difference in bone turnover between the low carbohydrate dieters and the non-dieters was insignificant after three months. But, the dieters lost significantly more weight -- an average of 14 pounds -- than the patients on unrestricted diets.

A potential limitation of the USF study was that the researchers looked for at least a 50 percent difference in bone turnover between the dieters and non-dieters. It's possible that more subtle effects on bone quality might have been found, Dr. Carter said, particularly if the low carbohydrate diet was maintained beyond three months.
 

- The clinical study was published this week in the online issue of the journal Osteoporosis International.
 

www.hsc.usf.edu

 
Subscribe to Osteoporosis Newsletter
E-mail Address:

 

The study's other authors were USF rheumatologists Frank Vasey, MD, and Joanne Valeriano, MD.

Related Osteoporosis News

Modifying NFATc1 Triggers Bone Production
'Magic formula' accurately predicts fracture risk in osteoporotic women
Calcium supplements fail to prevent bone fractures in children
Estrens might not be the answer for osteoporosis
Increasing NFATc1 activity causes massive bone accumulation
Second-Hand Smoke, First-Hand Problem
Low carbohydrate diet did not increase bone loss
Growing body of research links lead to osteoporosis
GENOMOS: Weak Links found between COL1A1 Polymorphism, BMD, and Fracture Risk
Denosumab may show promise in the treatment of osteoporosis


For any corrections of factual information, to contact the editors or to send any medical news or health news press releases, use feedback form

Top of Page

 

© Copyright 2004 onwards by RxPG Medical Solutions Private Limited
Contact Us