Developing an Effective Food Supplement for the Prevention of Osteoporosis | Functional Foods in Health and Disease - Online ISSN: 2160-3855; Print ISSN: 2378-7007 Skip to main content Skip to main navigation menu Skip to site footer Open Menu Functional Foods in Health and Disease - Online ISSN: 2160-3855; Print ISSN: 2378-7007 Home Food Science Publisher Functional Food Center Current Archives About About the Journal Aims and Scope Contact Editing Services Editorial Team Express Peer Review Graphical Abstract Journal Insights Privacy Statement Submissions Announcements Search Search Register Login Home / Archives / Vol. 1 No. 9 (2011): September 2011 / Research Articles Developing an Effective Food Supplement for the Prevention of Osteoporosis Authors Ping-chung Leung Jockey Club Centre for Osteoporosis Care and Control, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, HKSAR Erik Chun-hay Ko Institute of Chinese Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, HKSAR Sammy Wing-sum Siu Institute of Chinese Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, HKSAR Ellie Suet-yee Pang Institute of Chinese Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, HKSAR King-fai Cheng Institute of Chinese Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, HKSAR Yat-heung Chan Jockey Club Centre for Osteoporosis Care and Control, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, HKSAR DOI: https://doi.org/10.31989/ffhd.v1i9.120 Abstract Background: Aging is accompanied by a gradual loss of bone mineral contents which might lead to a higher rate to fractures. In the past twenty years, many pharmaceuticals are created to prevent bone loss. Most effective drugs only suppress bone resorption, the result of which is a loss of the normal balance of bone metabolism. Anti-resorptive drugs have already shown complications arising from the loss of balanced metabolism. Therefore it becomes clear now that prevention of bone mineral loss through a natural maintenance process will be more beneficial for those not under special risks. Drug treatment could be researched for those who already developed severe osteoporosis. There are many medicinal herbs in Chinese Medicine known to be supporting bone health. Three of those herbs, Herba Epimedii, Fructus Ligustri Lucidi and Fructus Psoralea (ELP) were chosen to make a formula for the prevention of osteoporosis. Result: One hundred and fifty postmenopausal osteopenic women were recruited, randomized and allocated to the herbal group (ELP) or placebo group. After 12 months of consumption of herbal formula, bone mineral maintenance was found when the bone mineral density (BMD) of the femur and tibia were as assessed using Dual-energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA) and Peripheral Quantitative Computed Tomography (pQCT) machines. No adverse effects were found. Conclusion: The clinical study using ELP was designed as a randomized controlled trial to test the efficacy of the agent used. The results showed positive support on the BMD of all bone tested. However statistical difference between the herbal and placebo group reached the significant level only in the proximal tibia and those who experienced menopause for more than ten years. This finding well indicates that ELP is good for preventive but does not satisfy the demand of a treatment agent. ELP could be recommended to those under the early threat of osteoporosis, i.e. osteopenia, to be used as a preventive agent. Keywords: Osteoporosis, post-menopause women, herbal supplement, functional food. Downloads [Abstract] [Full Article] Published 2011-09-29 Issue Vol. 1 No. 9 (2011): September 2011 Section Research Articles License Authors retain the copyright of their articles and grant the Functional Food Center (FFC) and its journals the right of first publication under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, including commercial use, provided the original author(s) and source are properly credited. Authors may post and share their published work freely, provided that the original publication in this journal is acknowledged. By submitting to this journal, authors confirm that their manuscripts are original, not under consideration elsewhere, and that they hold the necessary rights to grant this license. The Functional Food Center encourages open scientific exchange and allows derivative and extended works, provided attribution to the original publication is maintained. About the Journal      Editing Services      Graphical Abstract      Journal Insights        Submissions        Editorial Team       Privacy Statement        Contact        Current        Archives   Open Journal Systems Hosting and Support by: OpenJournalSystems.com