1Bronglais General Hospital, Aberystwyth SY23 1ER
Objective: To test whether standard information for patients using Crunchie and Aero chocolate bars to explain bone health and risk of fracture is robust.
Design: Observational study.
Setting: Domestic kitchen in rural west Wales.
Participants: 10 Crunchie bars and 10 Aero bars.
Main outcome measure: Fracture after falls from varying heights.
Results: Both Crunchie and Aero bars exhibited the same T and Z scores for bone density. Crunchie bars had a lower chocolate mass index than the Aero bars. Crunchie bars are more liable to fracture.
Conclusions: Using Crunchie and Aero chocolate bars to explain bone structure to patients may be visually attractive but oversimplifies the situation.