(Jeonju=Yonhap News) Reporter Kim Jin-bang = The Rural Development Administration announced on the 23rd that it has scientifically confirmed that extracts from the edible insect mealworm (larvae of the white-spotted flower chafer) are effective in alleviating osteoporosis.
The research team at the Rural Development Administration induced osteoclast differentiation in mouse osteoblast-like cells (MLO-Y4) and then treated them with mealworm extract.
The results of the experiment showed a significant reduction in the number and area of osteoclasts, confirming the effect of inhibiting bone resorption.
The research team also fed mealworm extract to mice with inflammatory bone loss for two weeks and then performed computed tomography (CT). The results showed that the loss of trabecular bone (the porous structure inside the bone) was inhibited in the mice fed mealworm extract, and bone density and bone volume fraction (the ratio of trabecular bone to the total bone marrow area) increased.
The Rural Development Administration plans to publish the results of this study in the international academic journal Insects (IF 2.9) and continue research for the utilization of health functional foods, including conducting clinical trials in the future.
Chang Yeong-ung, Director of the Industrial Insects Division at the Rural Development Administration, said, "This research has scientifically confirmed the anti-osteoporosis and bone health improvement effects of mealworms, laying the foundation for expanding their use as related health functional foods" and "We expect it to contribute to the revitalization of the edible insect industry and the creation of new income sources for insect farmers."