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Fruits and Veggies Linked to Bone Health in Teens
Teens who make fruits and vegetables a part of their daily diet may
build stronger bones, especially in the spine and neck, say researchers
from Cambridge in the United Kingdom.
Researchers studied the relationship between fruit and vegetable
consumption and bone mass in a variety of age groups, including 16to 18-year-old teens, young women, and older men and women. The
teens underwent tests to measure bone content and density in several
areas of the body and recorded what they ate and drank during a 7day period. The teens also noted how many hours per week they
spent exercising and whether they smoked or used dietary
supplements.
The results
Even when other bone health factors such as physical activity and
calcium intake were considered, teen boys and girls who had high
intakes of fruit tended to have heavier and stronger bones
throughout the body, but especially in the spine. In boys, eating lots
of fruit and consuming higher amounts of vitamin C (a vitamin
frequently found in fruits and vegetables) was linked to having
heavier and stronger neck bones.
The study results also showed that teens that ate the most fruit
tended to have significantly higher intakes of the vitamins and
minerals potassium, folic acid, and vitamin C, compared with teens
that ate the least fruit. And although fruit and vegetable intake was
not linked to better bone health in young women or older men, older
women who ate lots of fruit tended to have heavier and stronger
spinal bones, too.
What This Means
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Fruits and vegetables are a crucial part of every teenager’s diet, and
the results of this study suggest that these foods may improve bone
mineral content and density during adolescence, a critical time for
building bone mass. To take advantage of this and many other
potential health benefits, your child or teenager should be eating
three to five vegetable servings and two to four fruit servings daily.
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