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ABSTRACT Background and objective: Dietary intake of fruits and vegetables has been suggested to have a role in promoting bone health. More specifically, the polyphenols they contain have been linked [...]

Despite the notable health benefits of carotenoids for human health, the majority of human diets worldwide are repeatedly shown to be inadequate in intake of carotenoid-rich fruits and vegetables, according to current health recommendations. To address this deficit, strategies designed to increase dietary intakes and subsequent plasma levels of carotenoids are warranted. When mixed carotenoids are delivered into the intestinal tract simultaneously, competition occurs for micelle formation and absorption, affecting carotenoid bioavailability. Previously, we tested the in vitro viability of a carotenoid mix designed to deliver individual carotenoids sequentially spaced from one another over the 6 hr transit time of the human upper gastrointestinal system. We hypothesized that temporally and spatially separating the individual carotenoids would reduce competition for micelle formation, improve uptake, and maximize efficacy. Here, we test this hypothesis in a double-blind, repeated-measure, cross-over human study with 12 subjects by comparing the change of plasma carotenoid levels for 8 hr after oral doses of a sequentially spaced carotenoid mix, to a matched mix without sequential spacing. We find the carotenoid change from baseline, measured as area under the curve, is increased following consumption of the sequentially spaced mix compared to concomitant carotenoids delivery. These results demonstrate reduced interaction and regulation between the sequentially spaced carotenoids, suggesting improved bioavailability from a novel sequentially spaced carotenoid mix. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a sequential in vitro/in vivo approach, we tested the ability of botanical extracts to influence biomarkers associated with bone resorption and bone formation. Pomegranate fruit and grape seed extracts were found to exhibit anti-resorptive activity by inhibiting receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand (RANKL) expression in MG-63 cells and to reduce IL-1ß-stimulated calvarial 45Ca loss. A combination of pomegranate fruit and grape seed extracts were shown to be effective at inhibiting bone loss in ovariectomised rats as demonstrated by standard histomorphometry, biomechanical and bone mineral density measurements. Quercetin and licorice extract exhibited bone formation activity as measured by bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) promoter activation, increased expression of BMP-2 mRNA and protein levels, and promotion of bone growth in cultured mouse calvariae. A combination of quercetin and licorice extract demonstrated a potential for increasing bone mineral density in an intact female rat model as compared with controls. The results from this sequential in vitro/in vivo research model yielded botanical extract formulas that demonstrate significant potential benefits for bone health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]