A popular media article from www.msn.com recently caught my eye. The headline that drew me in was, “The One Food That Can Make Your Bones 20 Percent Stronger (It’s Not Dairy).” I was shocked by such a dramatic claim (20% stronger bones!!) and clicked on the article to read further. It turns out the article was referencing a research study done in male mice on a specific type of bone loss due to radiation exposure. I found a handful of claims from the article to be misrepresentative of the information from the original research paper. Most of the issues with the claims from the media article stem from the important fact that the findings of animal studies are not directly translatable to humans. It may be insulting to your intelligence to say that mice are very different from humans. While animal research is vital to science, a major weakness is the lack of direct relatability to humans. Additionally, the title of the media article may confuse consumers by undercutting the vital role that adequate calcium plays in bone health.
The study compared an antioxidant cocktail, dihydrolipoic acid (DHLA), ibuprofen, and prunes. They found that mice on the prune diet exposed to radiation maintained levels of bone-related gene expression comparable to the control mice. In a second experiment comparing a control, DHLA, and prunes, the bone volume mice on the prune diet was preserved following a radiation treatment.
Among the inaccurate claims from the popular media article was the assertion that eating prunes makes “your” bones 20 percent stronger. The glaring issue with this statement is that just because and effect was seen in mice does not mean that same type of effect will be detected in humans. Additionally, even if the effect was seen in humans, it may not occur at the same magnitude (i.e. maybe x amount of prunes per day can help to make radiation damaged bones 5% stronger).
The mice in the prune group of the experiment were fed a diet that consisted of 25% prunes by weight. Often in animal studies researchers will use large doses of the independent variable they are studying to see an effect. This is not a bad thing, it can save time and money by showing the researcher if a topic is worth studying in greater detail. However, it is important to keep in mind what a high proportion of the experimental diet was prunes when interpreting the results.
The popular media article contained a recommendation for the public to eat 4-5 prunes per day for bone strengthening benefits. While prunes are a healthy food and provide many important nutrients, the findings from this particular study in no way support a specific recommendation for humans. The protective effect of prunes in the mice was specific to bone loss from radiation, which is mainly applicable to astronauts, cancer patients undergoing radiation, radiation workers, and victims of nuclear accidents. The public is largely not at risk for bone loss due to radiation exposure.
Another inaccurate claim from the article was that prunes have an “unknown superpower” to help bones. There is a large body of research surrounding prunes and bone health. Researchers have been aware of the beneficial effects prunes have on bones for years.
A more honest (but perhaps not as eye-catching) headline for this media article would be: One study finds a diet high in prunes to benefit the bone integrity of male mice exposed to radiation. This revised headline emphasizes that these are results from ONE study (which should never be accepted as truth- we need repetition for validation), the study was done in male animals (mice, not humans), and informs the reader of the specific type of bone loss that the experiment found prunes to prevent (radiation-induced bone loss).
Study source:
Schreurs, A-s; Shirazi-fard, Y; Shahnazari, MAuthor; Alwood, J S; Truong, T A; et al. Dried plum diet protects from bone loss caused by ionizing radiation. Scientific Reports (Nature Publisher Group); London6 (Feb 2016): 21343.
Popular media article:
HMR,
Interesting post that I was not familiar with before. I have been a picky eater since I can remember back to middle and elementary school. I survived off of mostly bacon, French fries and milk until I graduated high school. Still being a picky eater and wanting to lose weight after my football career was over with, I focused on smaller portioned meals and drinking only water and milk. Bananas, apples, grapes, and spinach were the only fruits/vegetables that I was willing to eat for a several years, but have been trying to branch out and try other healthy food options lately.
I never considered eating prunes, just the name itself suggests something dried and wrinkly. After reading the headline, I was thinking that in order for your bones to get 20% stronger, you must have to eat pounds of prunes. I found an online article published in August 2017 from NDTV food highlighted 7 benefits of prunes. Prunes, or dried plums, are high in natural sugar, but also rich in vitamin K, vitamin A, and a good source of fiber. Prunes are higher on the antioxidant scale than blueberries and high in fiber, iron, and potassium which helps lower blood pressure and reduces risk of heart disease, heart attack, and stroke. Prunes promote hair health and are great to help maintain healthy skin. Prunes, like blueberries are healthy options that are easily incorporated and hidden in smoothies, but important to pay attention to the amount of fruit sugars. So, based on the benefits above, prunes can contribute to strengthening bones, but it is a stretch to say that this food can make your bones 20% stronger.
Most eye-catching headlines, like yours and one I found earlier, only serves as a way to get people reading their article. This was a much more misleading title, especially with test subjects being mice and dealing with radiation-induced bone loss. I will definitely checkout msn.com in hopes to find a health and fitness article for my last journal.