Benefits of Blackcurrant on Postmenopausal Osteoporosis: Study on Changes in Bone Density and Gut Microbiota
Postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMO) is a growing global health concern, particularly in the United States, where it affects one in four women over 65 years of age.
Postmenopausal osteoporosis is a progressive metabolic disorder associated with an increased risk of fractures. After data from the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) raised concerns regarding the risks of hormone replacement therapy, interest in non-pharmacological agents has increased.
Recent studies suggest that gut microbiota influences bone metabolism and that its modulation through diet may reduce the risk of PMO.
Anthocyanins found in blackcurrants (Ribes nigrum) are particularly promising due to their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
In vitro and in vivo studies have shown that blackcurrant inhibits osteoclastogenesis and bone loss.
Recent clinical results suggest that blackcurrant supplementation may reduce bone mineral density loss in peri- and postmenopausal women, positively influencing gut microbiota and the immune system.
This study aims to investigate the effects of blackcurrant (BC) on gut microbiota abundance and composition, inflammatory and immune responses, and their relationship with changes in bone mass.
The effects of blackcurrant on bone mineral density (BMD), gut microbiota, and inflammatory and immune blood biomarkers were evaluated using DXA, stool, and fasting blood samples collected in a three-arm, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot clinical trial.
Fifty-one peri- or early postmenopausal women aged 45 to 60 were randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups for six months: control, low-dose blackcurrant (392 mg/day), and high-dose blackcurrant (784 mg/day); 40 women completed the trial. BC supplementation for six months reduced whole-body BMD loss (P<.05).
Peripheral IL-1β (P=.056) and RANKL (P=.052) changes (%) in the high-dose BC group were marginally lower than in the control group. Whole-body BMD changes were inversely correlated with RANKL changes (P<.01). In proteomic analysis, four plasma proteins showed increased expression in the high-dose BC group: IGFBP4, tetranectin, fetuin-B, and vitamin K-dependent protein S.
Blackcurrant dose-dependently increased the relative abundance of *Ruminococcus 2* (P<.05), one of six bacteria correlated with BMD changes in the high-dose BC group (P<.05), suggesting that this might be the key bacterium driving bone-protective effects.
Daily consumption of blackcurrant for six months reduced bone loss in this population, potentially through modulating gut microbiota composition and suppressing osteoclastogenic cytokines. Larger-scale clinical trials are needed to examine the potential benefits of blackcurrant and the connection of Ruminococcus 2 with BMD maintenance in postmenopausal women.
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Source: Briana M. Nosal, Staci N. Thornton, Manije Darooghegi Mofrad, Junichi R. Sakaki, Kyle J. Mahoney, Zachary Macdonald, Lauren Daddi, Thi Dong Binh Tran, George Weinstock, Yanjiao Zhou, Elaine Choung-Hee Lee, Ock K. Chun, Blackcurrants shape gut microbiota profile and reduce risk of postmenopausal osteoporosis via the gut-bone axis: Evidence from a pilot randomized controlled trial, The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, Volume 133, 2024, 109701, ISSN 0955-2863, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnutbio.2024.109701.
