Intake of dehydrated nopal (Opuntia ficus indica) improves bone mineral density and calciuria in adult Mexican women

Abstract

Background: The intake of dehydrated nopal (DN) at a high stage of maturity along with high calcium content could improve bone mineral density (BMD) and calciuria and thus prevent osteoporosis.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of calcium intake from a vegetable source (DN) on BMD and calciuria covering a 2-year period in menopausal and non-menopausal women with low bone mass (LBM).

Methods: The study was quasi-experimental, blinded, and randomized, and included 131 Mexican women aged 35-55. Urinary calcium/creatinine index (CCI) was determined; BMD was analyzed on lumbar spine and total hip regions. Four groups were studied: Control group (CG), women with normocalciuria and a minimum dose of DN; experimental group 1 (EG1), women with hypercalciuria and a minimum dose of DN; experimental group 2 (EG2), women with hypercalciuria, and a maximum dose of DN; and normal group (NG) for reference in BMD.

Results: After the first semester of treatment, calciuria levels in women from both experimental groups returned to normal, remaining constant for the rest of the treatment. The percentage difference in BMD increased in the total hip region in the CG (pre 4.5% and post 2.1%) and EG2 (pre 1.8% and post 2.5%) groups significantly in comparison to NG and EG1, which exhibited a significant decrease in their BMD. BMD increased only for the lumbar region in the EG2 group (premenopausal).

Conclusion: The use of a vegetable calcium source such as nopal improves BMD in women with LBM in the total hip and lumbar spine regions principally in the premenopausal women, maintaining constant and normal calciuria levels.

Keywords: bone mineral density; calcium intake; dehydrated nopal; hypercalciuria; low bone mass; osteoporosis.

Fig. 1

CCI (95% CI), per group and per semester, in pre- and post-menopausal women. CG (pre)=control group pre-menopausal women, CG (post)=control group post-menopausal women, EG1 (pre)=experimental group (minimum dose) pre-menopausal women, EG1 (post)=experimental group (minimum dose) post-menopausal women, EG2 (pre)=experimental group (maximum dose) pre-menopausal women, EG2 (post)=experimental group (maximum dose) post-menopausal women. ^abData are mean 95% confidence interval (lower bound, upper bound), adjusted by age, BMD basal (lumbar spine, total hip and femoral neck), height, lean mass and fat mass. Values by groups that do not share the same superscript letter are significantly different (covariance, LSD test, p<0.05).

Fig. 2

Percentage of the difference in BMD (BMD₂₀₁₀−BMD₂₀₀₈ (%)) for lumbar spine, femoral neck, and total hip; for pre- and post-menopausal women. CG (pre)=control group pre-menopausal women, CG (post)=control group post-menopausal women, EG1 (pre)=experimental group (minimum dose) pre-menopausal women, EG1 (post)=experimental group (minimum dose) post-menopausal women, EG2 (pre)=experimental group (maximum dose) pre-menopausal women, EG2 (post)=experimental group (maximum dose) post-menopausal women. ^abcData are mean 95% confidence interval (lower bound, upper bound), adjusted by age, BMD basal (lumbar spine, total hip and femoral neck), height, lean mass and fat mass. Values by groups that do not share the same superscript letter are significantly different (covariance, LSD test, p<0.05).