Lo-Cal bones hold up
New study suggests rapid weight loss doesn't seem to deplete bone density
By Nathan Seppa
Cutting way back on calorie intake for six months doesn’t take a bite out of bones in people who haven’t yet reached middle age, a new study shows.
The finding, reported online and in the Sept. 22 Archives of Internal Medicine, thickens the debate over calorie restriction: A 2006 study had suggested that quick weight loss weakened bones in people over age 50.
The current study looks at volunteers with average ages in the late 30s. It’s possible that the reports’ different results stem from the age discrepancy, says Luigi Fontana, a physician and gerontologist at WashingtonUniversity in St. Louis who coauthored the earlier study.
Calorie restriction — eating fewer calories than necessary for maintaining a steady body weight — seems to offer health benefits and possibly a way to stretch a person’s longevity. But researchers are now investigating whether there might be a downside to the practice, apart from being hungry.