Antioxidant-rich berries exert modest bone protective effects in postmenopausal smokers without improving biomarkers of bone metabolism

• We hypothesize that antioxidant-rich berries can prevent smoking-induced bone loss.
• We randomly assign postmenopausal smokers to treatment groups.
• We measure bone mineral density at 0 and 9 months.
• Oxidative stress, inflammation and bone biochemical measurements at 0, 3, 6, 9 months.
• Findings indicate modest protective effects in blackberries.

Phenolic compounds from berries have shown bone protective effects in animal studies. We hypothesized that consumption of 45 g of blackberries or blueberries for 9 months will prevent smoking-induced bone loss in postmenopausal women. Postmenopausal smokers (n = 45) and nonsmokers (n = 20) were recruited. Smokers were randomly assigned to treatment groups: smoker control (n = 21); smoker + 45 g freeze-dried blackberries (n = 8); or smoker + 45 g freeze-dried blueberries (n = 16). We measured bone mineral density (BMD) at 0 and 9 months, urinary deoxypyridinoline, bone alkaline phosphate, osteocalcin, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and highly sensitive C-reactive protein at 0, 3, 6, 9 months. Bone loss of total body BMD was statistically significant in S-C and S-BL groups, but not in S-BB and NS groups (p = 0.0284). Findings indicated that blackberries but not blueberries modestly protected against smoking-induced bone loss in postmenopausal smokers.