Abstract
Bone is progressively lost with advancing age. Therapies are limited and the only effective proanabolic regimen presently
available to restore bone is intermittent treatment with teriparatide (parathyroid hormone 1-34). Recent evidence
suggests that dietary supplementation with dried plum (DP) can prevent bone loss due to estrogen deficiency. To
determine whether dietary DP supplementation can prevent the loss of bone with aging and whether bone that has
already been lost can be restored, adult (6 mo) and old (18 mo) male mice were fed a normal diet or isoenergetic,
isonitrogenous diets supplemented with DP (0, 15, and 25% DP by weight) for 6 mo. MicroCT analysis and bone
histomorphometry were used to assess bone volume, structure, and metabolic activity before, during, and after dietary
supplementation. Mice fed the 0% DP diet (control diet) lost bone, whereas both adult and old mice fed the 25% DP-
supplemented diet gained bone. Adult but not old mice fed the 15% diet also gained bone. Cancellous bone volume in
mice receiving 25% DP exceeded baseline levels by 40-50%. Trabecular structure varied with diet and age and responses
in old mice were generally blunted. Trabecular, but not cortical, mineral density varied with age and measures of bone
anabolic activity were lower in aged mice. Our findings suggest that DP contains proanabolic factors that can dramatically
increase bone volume and restore bone that has already been lost due to aging. In turn, DP may provide effective
prophylactic and therapeutic agents for the treatment of osteoporosis.