Bone mineral density in post-menopausal female subjects is associated with serum antioxidant carotenoids

High intake of fruit and vegetables may reduce the risk of osteoporosis. Carotenoids exist in abundance in these foods. This study showed the association of bone mineral density with serum carotenoids. The findings suggest that beta-cryptoxanthin and beta-carotene might provide benefits to bone health in post-menopausal female subjects. Introduction Antioxidant carotenoids are abundant in fruit and vegetables. Recent epidemiological studies show that high intakes of fruit and vegetables may reduce the risk of osteoporosis, but little is known about the association of bone mineral density (BMD) with serum carotenoids. Methods A total of 699 subjects (222 males and 477 females) who had received health examinations in the town of Mikkabi, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, participated in the study. Radial BMD was measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). The associations of serum carotenoid concentrations with the radial BMD were evaluated cross-sectionally. Results In male and pre-menopausal female subjects, the six serum carotenoids were not associated with the radial BMD. On the other hand, in post-menopausal female subjects, serum beta-cryptoxanthin and beta-carotene were weakly but positively correlated with the radial BMD. After adjustment for confounders, the odds ratio (OR) for the lowest quartile of BMD in the high groups (Q2-Q4) of serum beta-cryptoxanthin against the lowest quartile (Q1) was 0.45 (95% confidence interval: 0.22-0.95) in post-menopausal female subjects. However, this association was not significant after further adjusting for intakes of minerals and vitamins. Conclusions Antioxidant carotenoids, especially beta-cryptoxanthin, significantly but partly associate with the radial BMD in post-menopausal female subjects.