title: Intake of dehydrated nopal (Opuntia ficus indica) improves bone mineral density and calciuria in adult Mexican women.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The intake of dehydrated nopal (DN) at a high stage of maturity along with high calcium content could improve bone mineral density (BMD) and calciuria and thus prevent osteoporosis.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the effect of calcium intake from a vegetable source (DN) on BMD and calciuria covering a 2-year period in menopausal and non-menopausal women with low bone mass (LBM).
  
  
  METHODS
  The study was quasi-experimental, blinded, and randomized, and included 131 Mexican women aged 35-55. Urinary calcium/creatinine index (CCI) was determined; BMD was analyzed on lumbar spine and total hip regions. Four groups were studied: Control group (CG), women with normocalciuria and a minimum dose of DN; experimental group 1 (EG1), women with hypercalciuria and a minimum dose of DN; experimental group 2 (EG2), women with hypercalciuria, and a maximum dose of DN; and normal group (NG) for reference in BMD.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After the first semester of treatment, calciuria levels in women from both experimental groups returned to normal, remaining constant for the rest of the treatment. The percentage difference in BMD increased in the total hip region in the CG (pre 4.5% and post 2.1%) and EG2 (pre 1.8% and post 2.5%) groups significantly in comparison to NG and EG1, which exhibited a significant decrease in their BMD. BMD increased only for the lumbar region in the EG2 group (premenopausal).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The use of a vegetable calcium source such as nopal improves BMD in women with LBM in the total hip and lumbar spine regions principally in the premenopausal women, maintaining constant and normal calciuria levels.
authors.affiliation: Doctorado en Ciencias Biológicas y de la Salud, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, Delegación Coyoacán, D.F., México ; Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Licenciatura en Nutrición, Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, Juriquilla, Qro., México.
authors.forename: María de Los Angeles
authors.initials: Mde L
authors.lastname: Aguilera-Barreiro
authors.forename: José Alberto
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Rivera-Márquez
authors.forename: Héctor Miguel
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Trujillo-Arriaga
authors.forename: Juan Alfredo
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Tamayo Y Orozco
authors.forename: Eduardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Barreira-Mercado
authors.forename: Mario E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Rodríguez-García
keywords: bone mineral density; calcium intake; dehydrated nopal; hypercalciuria; low bone mass; osteoporosis