Abstract
Osteoporosis is a disease of the skeletal system characterized by low bone mass and bone weakening, which increase the risk of fracture. This disease is associated with menopause because hypoestrogenism induces the maturation and activation of osteoclasts. In addition, a low dietary intake of calcium leads to low bone mineral density and postmenopausal osteoporosis. The objectives of this work were to determine calcium bioavailability of Opuntia ficus-indica cladodes at a late maturity stage and to assess its contribution in improving bone health in an ovariectomized rat model. Two-month-old Wistar female rats (n = 35) were used and distributed in seven experimental groups: (i) control group (Crtl), (ii) sham group (SH), (iii) ovariectomized group (OVX), (iv) ovariectomized group supplemented with calcium citrate (CCa), (v) ovariectomized group supplemented with O. ficus-indica powder (NI), (vi) ovariectomized group supplemented with soluble fiber from O. ficus-indica (FS) and (vii) ovariectomized group supplemented with insoluble fiber from O. ficus-indica (FI). Our results showed that calcium in the soluble fiber of O. ficus-indica is bioavailable and contributes to improve the physical, densitometric, biomechanical and microstructural properties of bones in ovariectomized rats. These findings indicated that O. ficus-indica cladodes at a late maturity stage represent a good source of bioavailable calcium and consumption of these cladodes might be beneficial for the prevention of osteoporosis and other bone diseases.
Highlights
An adequate bone mineralization is achieved through calcium and vitamin D diet ingestion.Foods that have high calcium content are dairy products; people with lactose intolerance are predisposed to low calcium intake, and are at higher risk of bone demineralization [1].The recommended daily intake (RDI) for calcium is 1200 mg/day in adults
Analyses of Ca and P Content in O. ficus-indica Cladodes, and the Soluble and Insoluble Fiber Extracted from O. ficus-indica
The insoluble fiber extracted from O. ficus-indica cladodes had the lowest content of this mineral
Summary
The recommended daily intake (RDI) for calcium is 1200 mg/day in adults The deficiency of this mineral in diet is directly related to diseases, such as osteoporosis, as well as to the propensity to suffer bone fractures [2]. There are several treatments for the prevention of osteoporosis, among which, dietary supplements that contain calcium salts, such as calcium carbonate and citrate, are widely employed. Vitamin D supplementation is used in the preventive treatment of osteoporosis, its complete absorption is very limited in geriatric patients, since they barely carry out any type of exercise, such as walking, to take advantage of UV rays to achieve vitamin D fixation [6]. Another prevention and treatment option for osteoporosis is hormone replacement, which induces antiresorptive effects and has been used for decades in menopausal and postmenopausal women; it is accompanied by side effects associated with increased risk of breast cancer [7]
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