Are milk and alternatives and fruit and vegetable intakes during adolescence associated with cortical and trabecular bone structure, density, and strength in adulthood?

• Published in: Osteoporosis international Vol. 28; no. 2; pp. 609 - 619
• Main Authors: Z. Movassagh, E., Kontulainen, S., Baxter-Jones, A. D. G., Whiting, S., Szafron, M., Papadimitropoulos, M., Vatanparast, H.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Springer London 01-02-2017; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adolescent Nutritional Physiological Phenomena - physiology; Adolescents; Adults; Animals; Anthropometry - methods; Body height; Bone density; Bone Density - physiology; Bone strength; Calcium; Cancellous bone; Child development; Child, Preschool; Computed tomography; Cortical bone; Data processing; Diet; Endocrinology; Energy intake; Exercise - physiology; Feeding Behavior - physiology; Female; Females; Food intake; Fruit; Fruits; Humans; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Males; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Milk; Multivariate analysis; Original Article; Orthopedics; Physical activity; Radius; Radius - diagnostic imaging; Radius - physiology; Rheumatology; Sex Characteristics; Teenagers; Tibia; Tibia - diagnostic imaging; Tibia - physiology; Tomography, X-Ray Computed - methods; Vegetables; Fruit and vegetables; Adolescence; Trabecular bone; Bone strength; Milk and alternatives; Cortical bone
• ISSN: 0937-941X; 1433-2965
• DOI: 10.1007/s00198-016-3775-4

Summary
We investigated the impact of food group intake during adolescence on bone structure and strength during adulthood. In females, we found a beneficial effect of adolescent milk and alternatives and fruit and vegetable intake on adult radius shaft and distal tibia bone structure, respectively. No association was observed in males.
Introduction
The purpose of this study was to investigate whether adolescents with high intake of milk and alternatives (M&A) or fruit and vegetables (F&V) had better adult bone structure and strength compared to those with low intake levels.
Methods
We analyzed data from 47 males and 69 females enrolled in the Pediatric Bone Mineral Accrual Study (PBMAS 1991–2011), who had one peripheral quantitative computed tomography scan at age 29 ± 2 years. We measured radius and tibia shaft total area (ToA), cortical area (CoA), cortical content (CoC), cortical density, bone strength (SSI
p
), and muscle area, as well as distal radius and tibia ToA, total density, trabecular area, trabecular content, trabecular density, and bone strength (BSI
c
). Sequential 24-h recalls were used to assess M&A and F&V intake; participants were grouped for their mean intake during adolescence (low = bottom quartile, moderate = middle quartiles, high = top quartile) and were compared using multivariate analysis of covariance while adjusting for adult height, muscle area, physical activity, energy and calcium intake and adolescent energy intake, and physical activity.
Results
Females with high M&A intake compared to low M&A intake group (mean 3.8 vs. 1.3 servings/day, respectively) had greater adult ToA (14 %,
p
 < 0.05), CoA (15 %,
p
 < 0.01), and CoC (16 %,
p
 < 0.01) at radius shaft. Females with moderate F&V intake compared to low F&V intake group (mean 3.7 vs. 2.1 servings/day, respectively) had greater adult ToA (8.5 %,
p
 < 0.05) at distal tibia.
Conclusion
Higher intake of M&A or F&V during adolescence had a long-term beneficial effect on bone structure in females, an association not observed in males.