The study was led by epidemiologist Katherine Tucker with the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (HNRCA) at Tufts University in Boston, Mass. Tucker directs the HNRCA's Dietary Assessment and Epidemiology Research Program.
Osteoporosis -- a condition in which bones become porous and weak -- affects about 10 million people in the U.S. population, and low bone mass is a public health concern among another 44 million people aged 50 or older. The researchers wanted to examine whether fruit- and vegetable-specific antioxidants such as vitamin C might decrease oxidative stress that is linked to accelerated bone loss.