Protein and Bone Health - Brief Article

Dietary protein from different sources may have different effects on bone. Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, studied 1,035 women over the age of 65 years. Protein intake was determined by asking the women what they had eaten over the past year, and bone mineral density was measured. Women whose diets were highest in animal protein and lowest in plant protein lost more bone than did women whose diets had lower amounts of animal protein and higher amounts of plant protein. Higher losses of bone increase risk of osteoporosis and fracture. However, the amount of animal protein did not appear to be related to bone density, suggesting that bone loss due to animal protein may not occur until later in life. Women with a high intake of animal protein had almost 3 times more risk of fracturing a hip than did women with low intakes of animal protein. While adequate protein intake is important to bone health, the use of more vegetable protein sources and less animal protein appears to also be important in older women.

Sellmeyer DE, Stone KL, Sebastian A, et al. 2001. A high ratio of dietary animal to vegetable protein increases the rate of bone loss and the risk of fracture in postmenopausal women. Am J Clin Nutr 73:118-122.

COPYRIGHT 2001 Vegetarian Resource Group
COPYRIGHT 2001 Gale Group