High Protein Intake Can Improve Bone Health in Adults

Protein-rich diet can improve adult bone health. Balanced diet containing adequate amounts of protein and calcium can reduce the risk of osteoporosis in adults.

Consuming high protein levels of protein can improve adult bone health, observes a new study. The findings of the study are published in Osteoporosis International.

A new expert consensus endorsed by the European Society for Clinical and Economical Aspects of Osteoporosis, Osteoarthritis, and Musculoskeletal Diseases (ESCEO) and the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) has reviewed the benefits and safety of dietary protein for bone health, based on analyses of major research studies.

Osteoporosis-Causes-Symptoms-Diagnosis-Treatment-FAQs
Osteoporosis is a bone disease that leads to an increased risk of fractures. The bone mass is reduced and the bones are porous, thereby resulting in weakness of the skeletal system of the body.

‘Eating high protein diet can improve bone health and reduce the risk of osteoporosis in adults.’

The review found that a protein-rich diet, provided there is adequate calcium intake, is, in fact, beneficial for adult bone health. It also found no evidence that acid load due to higher dietary protein intakes, whether of animal or vegetable origin, is damaging to bone health.

The key findings of the extensive literature review include:

Hip fracture risk is modestly decreased with higher dietary protein intakes, provided calcium intakes are adequate
Bone mineral density (BMD), which is an important determinant of bone strength, appears to be positively associated with dietary protein intakes
Protein and calcium combined with dairy products have beneficial effects on calciotropic hormones, bone turnover markers, and BMD. The benefit of dietary proteins on bone outcomes seems to require adequate calcium intakes
There appears to be no direct evidence of osteoporosis progression, fragility fractures or altered bone strength with the acid load originating from a balanced diet

Professor René Rizzoli, Professor at the Division of Bone Diseases of the Geneva University Hospitals and Faculty of Medicine, stated:

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"Adequate intake of dietary protein, together with calcium, is needed for optimal bone growth in children and the maintenance of healthy bone at all ages. This message needs to be reinforced in view of currently circulating myths suggesting that too much protein causes 'acid load' and is damaging to bone health.

In fact, in the elderly, we find that a common problem is not too much protein, but too little. This review of the literature confirms that a balanced diet with sufficient protein intake, regardless whether of animal or vegetable source, clearly benefits bone health when accompanied by adequate calcium intake. This is particularly important for seniors with osteoporosis, and individuals at risk of malnutrition due to acute or chronic illness, or recovering from an injury."

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Source-Eurekalert

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