A Dietary Strategy to Maximize Bone Mass in United States Naval Academy Midshipmen
Abstract
The overall objective of this research is to develop dietary methods to increase bone mass in young men and women in order to reduce the incidence of stress fractures during physical training and the incidence of osteoporotic fracture later in life. The study evaluates the efficacy and safety of two different types of dietary interventions to promote gain in bone mass at several skeletal sites in young Naval Academy Midshipmen. The dietary interventions optimize different nutritional factors, not just calcium intake, and enable us to examine the effect of maximizing all the nutrients essential for both bone matrix formation and bone mineralization under the conditions of usual dietary intake at the Naval Academy. The youngest Midshipmen were recruited because they have the greatest potential for bone accretion, consequently recruitment was coordinated with the initiation of the class of 2003. The beginning phase of recruitment and baseline measurement of bone mineral density parameters and estimates of dietary intake that are needed to randomize the subjects to treatment groups started in July 1999. To date, we have recruited and scanned approximately 100 Midshipmen. The two year dietary intervention phase will start in early 2000. Midshipmen will be randomized to groups consuming daily either a calcium supplement or a placebo and either a fortified protein and energy bar or its placebo. Contracts for the development and production of the two different dietary supplements and their respective placebos are under negotiation with the U.S. Army Combat Feeding Center, Natick Soldier Center, SBCCOM, Natick, MA.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 1999
- Accession Number
- ADA372719
Entities
People
- Mona Calvo
Organizations
- Food and Drug Administration