I want candy

In yesterday’s e-Alert (“Finding Middle Ground” 10/7/02) I told you about the contradictory reports surrounding the effects of vitamin A on bone density and how the vitamin may (or may not) play a part in the development of osteoporosis. Now I’ve come across another study about bone density that sheds more light on the vitamin A question, while offering good evidence that candy should not be a large part of your diet. That’s right – it’s time to cut back on the Mars bars.

Researchers from three Boston universities, including Harvard, studied the dietary habits of more than 900 subjects, all over the age of 60. The male subjects who ate the most fruits and vegetables (supplying just under 30 percent of their total calories) had significantly greater bone density than men who ate only small amounts of fruit and vegetables.

The Boston researchers also found that subjects who ate the greatest amount of candy (as much as 20% of their diet, on average) had much lower bone density than other subjects.

The most amazing thing about this study is that they were able to find people over 10 years old with diets that were 20% candy. That’s a lot of SweeTarts and KitKats.

To Your Good Health,

Jenny Thompson
Health Sciences Institute