Eating junk food daily can lead to lower bone density in children

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Reddit
• Tumblr
• LinkedIn
• Pinterest
• RSS Feed
• Link

Bone Research: Junk food daily can lead to lower bone density in children

Eating junk food daily can lead to lower bone density in children.  According to a report on the Medicalxpress website, a report recently published in the journal Bone Research warns that junk food can cause damage to children’s bones. Experiments in mice have shown that these junk foods affect bone growth and also make bones more brittle.

Efrat Monsonego-Ornan, professor of the Department of Biochemistry, Food Science and Nutrition at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, said that ultra-processed foods are also called junk foods, which are processed in multiple stages and contain a variety of non-dietary ingredients. This type of food is cheap, delicious, and can be eaten immediately without cleaning and cooking, and is widely welcomed by consumers all over the world.

Among all foods sold globally, junk food accounts for 70%; about 50% of children in the United States eat junk food every day, and even 70% of their daily caloric intake comes from junk food. A large number of studies have shown that eating junk food often leads to obesity, and also increases the risk of mental and metabolic diseases for consumers of all ages. The direct adverse effects of junk food on children’s development deserve special attention.

The researchers first fed junk food to mice whose bones were in the growth stage, and found that these mice developed growth retardation and decreased bone strength. The researchers detected high levels of cartilage accumulation in the bone growth plates of mice, and chondrocytes showed signs of impaired bone development.

After histological examination, the researchers found that the tibia growth plate of rats fed ultra-processed foods rich in fat and sugar had lesions, leading to developmental delays. At the same time, the bone density is significantly reduced, and the structural parameters of the bone deteriorate, showing a cribriform appearance in the cortex, and poor trabecular parameters in the long bones and vertebrae. The mechanical properties of the entire bone are poor, and the risk of fracture is high.

Next, the researchers matched the 30% normal diet and 70% junk food diet for the rats according to human eating habits. The results showed that the signs of cartilage accumulation in the growth plate of the mice were reduced, but the bone density was also moderately damaged. It can be seen that even if the intake of junk food decreases, it still has a certain impact on bone growth.

Carlos Monteiro, a world-renowned nutrition expert, once emphasized that “there is no healthy junk food.” This study undoubtedly confirms this. Monsonego-Ornan said that even if the sugar, fat, nitrates or other known ill-health ingredients in junk food are reduced, these foods are still harmful and have exceeded the scope of conventional metabolic factors. Every part of the body may be harmed by junk food, especially the body tissues at the critical stage of development. Therefore, bone health may become a new goal of modern diet research.

(source:internet, reference only)

Disclaimer of medicaltrend.org