VEGETABLE, FRUIT INTAKE PROMOTES HEALTHY BONE MASS.

According to a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, high consumption of fruit and vegetables encourages development of total-body bone mineral content. Researchers from the University of Saskatchewan collected data from 85 boys and 67 girls aged 8 to 20 years. The researchers discovered fruit and vegetable intake – in addition to calcium intake and physical activity – were significant independent environmental predictors of totalbody bone mineral content in boys but not in girls. They noted that under-reporting of dietary intake by girls may explain why this effect was not apparent in girls. (Vatanparast, H., Baxter-Jones, A., et al., “Positive effects of vegetable and fruit consumption and calcium intake on bone mineral accrual in boys during growth from childhood to adolescence: The University of Saskatchewan Pediatric Bone Mineral Accrual Study.” Am Jour Clin Nutr.2005; 82(3):700- 706.)