Fermented dairy products consumption is associated with attenuated cortical bone loss independently of total calcium, protein, and energy intakes in healthy postmenopausal women.
A longitudinal analysis of bone microstructure in postmenopausal women of the Geneva Retirees Cohort indicates that age-related cortical bone loss is attenuated at non-bearing bone sites in fermented dairy products consumers, not in milk or ripened cheese consumers, independently of total energy, calcium, or protein intakes.


INTRODUCTION
Fermented dairy products (FDP), including yogurts, provide calcium, phosphorus, and proteins together with prebiotics and probiotics, all being potentially beneficial for bone. In this prospective cohort study, we investigated whether FDP, milk, or ripened cheese consumptions influence age-related changes of bone mineral density (BMD) and microstructure.


METHODS
Dietary intakes were assessed at baseline and after 3.0 ± 0.5 years with a food frequency questionnaire in 482 postmenopausal women enrolled in the Geneva Retirees Cohort. Cortical (Ct) and trabecular (Tb) volumetric (v) BMD and microstructure at the distal radius and tibia were assessed by high-resolution peripheral quantitative computerized tomography, in addition to areal (a) BMD and body composition by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, at the same time points.


RESULTS
At baseline, FDP consumers had lower abdominal fat mass and larger bone size at the radius and tibia. Parathyroid hormone and β-carboxyterminal cross-linked telopeptide of type I collagen levels were inversely correlated with FDP consumption. In the longitudinal analysis, FDP consumption (mean of the two assessments) was associated with attenuated loss of radius total vBMD and of Ct vBMD, area, and thickness. There was no difference in aBMD and at the tibia. These associations were independent of total energy, calcium, or protein intakes. For other dairy products categories, only milk consumption was associated with lower decrease of aBMD and of failure load at the radius.


CONCLUSION
In this prospective cohort of healthy postmenopausal women, age-related Ct bone loss was attenuated at non-bearing bone sites in FDP consumers, not in milk or ripened cheese consumers, independently of total energy, calcium, or protein intakes.


STUDY REGISTRATION
ISRCTN11865958 ( http://www.isrctn.com ).
['Biver|E|E|http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6174-1951', 'Durosier-Izart|C|C|', 'Merminod|F|F|', 'Chevalley|T|T|', 'van Rietbergen|B|B|', 'Ferrari|S L|SL|', 'Rizzoli|R|R|']
D015502:Absorptiometry, Photon D000368:Aged D015415:Biomarkers D001823:Body Composition D015519:Bone Density D016723:Bone Remodeling D002136:Calcium, Dietary D043302:Cultured Milk Products D004032:Diet D004044:Dietary Proteins D002149:Energy Intake D005247:Feeding Behavior D005260:Female D006801:Humans D010024:Osteoporosis D017698:Postmenopause D013557:Switzerland
Bone microstructure Yogurts Bone mineral density Bone fragility Nutrition Osteoporosis