There is a saying that taking oral contraceptives for a long time can lower bone density. Research results are mixed, so the correlation is not yet clear, but it can still be a concern. If bone density decreases from a young age, bones become weaker than others as one gets older. If you cannot stop taking contraceptives used for treating female conditions such as polycystic ovary syndrome, you can take other measures to maintain bone health. Eating prunes as a snack is one way.

 

Research findings indicate that women taking oral contraceptives have lower bone density

 

There is research indicating that women taking oral contraceptives may experience decreased bone density. A research team from the Ciatel Population Health Consortium in the United States studied 606 women aged 14 to 30 to investigate the correlation between oral contraceptive use and bone density. As a result, women taking oral contraceptives showed a 5.9% lower spinal bone density and a 2.3% lower overall bone density compared to women who did not take them.

 

Women taking low-dose oral contraceptives containing less than 30 μg of estrogen showed particularly notable decreases in bone mineral density. A cohort study conducted in Canada with 524 women aged 25 to 45 yielded the same conclusion. The group taking oral contraceptives had significantly lower lumbar and femoral electronic bone mineral density compared to the non-user group.

However, it cannot yet be definitively concluded that oral contraceptives decrease bone mineral density. The possibility has only been suggested. This is because there are also conflicting research results. A research team from the Department of Family Medicine at Hanlim University Kangnam Sacred Heart Hospital analyzed data from 4,068 premenopausal women aged 19 to 50 from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted between 2008 and 2010, and found no significant correlation between the duration of oral contraceptive use and bone mineral density.

 

If you're worried, manage your bones with prunes... helps improve bone density

 

If you're worried about your health, eating prunes along with dietary fiber can be helpful. There are research findings indicating that prunes are beneficial for bone health, regardless of whether women are taking oral contraceptives or not.

 

According to the latest research published in the September issue of the American Journal of Nutrition, women aged 18 to 25 who consume prunes daily experience a reduction in the risk of bone loss. This is the result of a 12-month randomized controlled clinical trial conducted by Dr. Sirin Hushmandbak, the lead researcher at San Diego State University, involving 90 young women aged 18 to 25. The research team found that after consuming 50 grams of prunes (about 5 pieces) per day, both women who took oral contraceptives and those who did not showed a significant increase in wrist bone mineral density after 12 months. Although the exact mechanism by which prunes benefit bone health has not been fully elucidated, it is presumed to be due to the suppression of osteoclast activity, which is responsible for bone resorption.

 

There have been previous studies suggesting that prunes are good for bone health. Clinical trial results show that women in menopause who consumed 50g of prunes daily experienced an increase in bone density compared to those who did not. In fact, prunes are rich in minerals, vitamin K, and phenolic compounds that are beneficial for bone health.

 

=============

I thought it was only good for joint movement.

It seems that prunes are also good for bones..

 

Bone density is important..

 

Just once, break it, then undo

It might be difficult. Or it might not work.