Estimated Phytate Intake Is Associated with Bone Mineral Density in Mediterranean Postmenopausal Women

Abstract

[eng] The main objective of this work was to explore the association of dietary phytate intake with bone mineral density (BMD) in a Mediterranean population of postmenopausal women. For this purpose, a cross-sectional analysis of 561 women aged 55–75 years with overweight/obesity and metabolic syndrome from a Mediterranean area and with data on dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scans in femur and lumbar spine was performed. Estimated phytate intake was calculated using a validated food frequency questionnaire. Our results indicated that phytate intake was associated with BMD [β(95%CI) per each 25 mg/100 kcal] in femoral neck [0.023(0.060–0.040) g/cm2 ], femoral Ward’s triangle [0.033(0.013–0.054) g/cm2 ], total femur [0.018(0.001–0.035) g/cm2 ], and all the analyzed lumbar spine sites [L1–L4: 0.033(0.007–0.059) g/cm2 ] after adjusting for potential confounders. The sensitivity analysis showed that phytate intake was directly associated with lumbar spine BMD in women younger than 66 years, with a body mass index higher than 32.6 kg/cm2 and without type 2 diabetes (all p-for interactions < 0.05). The overall results indicated that phytate, a substance present in food as cereals, legumes and nuts, was positively associated with BMD in Mediterranean postmenopausal women. Phytate may have a protective effect on bone resorption by adsorbing on the surfaces of HAP. Nevertheless, large, long-term, and randomized prospective clinical studies must be performed to assess the possible benefits of phytate consumption on BMD in postmenopausal women.