Study: Probiotics may help with bone density
A new study published in the Journal of Internal Medicine is highlighting a potential connection between the gut and bone density in older women. Though only covering 90 women, only 70 of whom completed it, the study found that the probiotic L. reuteri reduced bone density loss compared with the placebo.
“Previous studies in rodents have suggested that treatment with specific bacterial strains can improve bone density, but the present study demonstrates for the first time that this may also be the case in humans,” the researchers wrote, while acknowledging that their trial mostly functions as a proof-of-concept and a push for more, similar trials.
The study notes that data from 2005 showed that fractures related to osteoporosis, which is partly characterized by a loss of bone density, numbered more than 2 million and cost roughly $17 billion.
“Previous studies in rodents have suggested that treatment with specific bacterial strains can improve bone density, but the present study demonstrates for the first time that this may also be the case in humans,” the researchers wrote, while acknowledging that their trial mostly functions as a proof-of-concept and a push for more, similar trials.
The study notes that data from 2005 showed that fractures related to osteoporosis, which is partly characterized by a loss of bone density, numbered more than 2 million and cost roughly $17 billion.