Effect of Moringa Oleifera on Bone Density in Post‐Menopausal Women
Authors: Brown Jason , Merritt Edward , Mowa Chisimba N. , McAnulty Steven 
Published: November 2023

Introduction

Osteoporosis is a clinical condition of low bone mineral density (BMD) that can lead to fractures with hip fractures accounting for more than 300,000 hospitalizations each year. The loss of ovarian estrogen after menopause plays a large role in why women are the most affected. Consuming foods that are rich in bone building vitamins and minerals may help provide important bone protection from this estrogen loss. Moringa Oleifera (M. Oleifera) is a tropical plant and contained in the leaves are nutrients such as beta‐carotene, all of the essential amino acids, vitamin C, potassium, and calcium. M. Oleifera also contains multiple micronutrients that play a critical role in bone health and calcium absorption, such as boron, vitamin C, magnesium, potassium, and others. Therefore, the study objective is to determine the effects of M. Oleifera on the structure and function of bone in post‐menopausal women ingesting 1g of M. Oleifera daily for 12 weeks.

Methods

Post‐menopausal women (aged 60–70) were split into either the control (N=10) or experimental (N=10) group with each group consuming 1g daily of a cabbage placebo or M. Oleifera, respectively. During this time period no changes to daily habits including food or exercise were made and a three day diet log was recorded. DEXA scans will be recorded on each individual before and after the intervention. The main focus will be on the hip neck and total hip BMD and bone mineral content (BMC), as well as the whole body BMC and BMD.

Results

The recorded diets were not statistically different from one another between or within the two groups. The pre right hip DEXA had an average BMC of 26.92 g and a BMD of .805 g/cm2. The average pre left hip DEXA showed similar numbers with the BMC and BMD averaging out to 27.636g and .817 g/cm2. The only difference in the pre left and right hip scans found that control group had a higher right hip BMC, BMD, and T‐score (p=.042, .044, .044) before the intervention started. There were no significant differences between the pre and post scans for the left and right hip scans between or within groups. The average pre‐whole body DEXA scans had an average BMC of 1851.45 g and a BMD of 1.053 g/cm2. The pre whole body scans showed no significance between groups. There were no significant differences in the pre‐scans for the whole body DEXA scan between or within groups. There were no significant differences in the post‐scans for the whole body DEXA between or within groups except for the left leg BMD with the pre‐scans being significantly higher in both groups (p=.001).

Conclusion

Overall, there were no significant differences between the pre and post in any of the measured variables. This shows that there was no relationship between consuming Moringa Oleifera and an increase in bone density. The limitations of this study were the short time‐frame of twelve weeks. Future studies should look to continue this study for a longer period of time and control for exercise and dietary habits to truly isolate the Moringa Oleifera effect. Developing novel ways to help prevent or slow osteoporosis and osteopenia can have a major impact on the well‐being of millions of women. Determining a natural product that help slow or reverse bone loss may be able to supplant hormone replacement therapies which can be expensive, invasive, and even dangerous.

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