Effects of royal jelly on bone metabolism in postmenopausal women: a randomized, controlled study

Abstract

Objectives

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of royal jelly (RJ) supplementation on bone metabolism in postmenopausal women.

Methods

This was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Seventy-two healthy postmenopausal women aged 45–60 years within 5 years after menopause were randomized into two groups: women in the RJ group (n = 36) received capsules containing dried RJ (equivalent to 3000 mg of fresh RJ); and women in the placebo group (n = 36) received placebo daily for 6 months. Bone mineral density (BMD) of the lumbar spine (L2–L4) and left proximal femur, hip structural analysis (HSA) of the left hip, and bone turnover markers were measured.

Results

Although women in the placebo group experienced a significant loss of BMD and deterioration in HSA parameters of the femur, no significant differences were found in these parameters in women in the RJ group. The levels of total procollagen type 1 N-terminal propeptide (P1NP) and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase decreased significantly in the placebo group; however, the total P1NP level, a marker of bone formation, was not significantly different in the RJ group at postintervention compared with baseline.

Conclusion

RJ consumption may ameliorate decreases in femoral BMD and strength in postmenopausal women.

摘要

目的：本研究旨在评估服用蜂王浆（RJ）对绝经后妇女骨代谢的影响。

方法：这是一项随机, 双盲, 安慰剂对照的临床试验。将72名绝经小于5年的45至60岁健康绝经后妇女随机分为两组：RJ组（n＝36）的妇女服用含有RJ冻干粉（相当于3000 mg新鲜RJ）的胶囊；安慰剂组（n=36）中的女性每天服用安慰剂6个月。测量腰椎（L2-L4）和左股骨近端的骨矿物质密度（BMD）, 左髋的髋关节结构分析（HSA）和骨转换标志。

结果：尽管安慰剂组的女性出现了BMD的显著降低和股骨HSA参数的恶化, 但RJ组的女性在这些参数上没有发现显著差异。安慰剂组的总I型原胶原N端前肽（P1NP）和抗酒石酸酸性磷酸酶水平显著降低。然而, RJ组干预后的总P1NP水平（骨形成的标志）与基线相比没有显著差异。

结论：绝经后妇女服用RJ可能会减缓股骨BMD和强度的降低。

Keywords:

• Bone mineral density
• hip structural analysis
• menopause
• osteoporosis
• royal jelly

Potential conflict of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported in part by a research grant from the Japan Royal Jelly Fair Trade Council (to H.M.).