Elders: Eat Protein for Strong Bones - Brief Article

Agricultural Research, Sept, 2001

Dietary protein may be as important as ample calcium and vitamin D in maintaining strong bones in the elderly. Research with 70- to 90-year-old men and women showed that those with the highest protein intakes lost less bone over a 4-year period than those consuming half as much or less. The study used data from 615 participants in the Framingham (Massachusetts) Osteoporosis Study to examine the relationship between subjects' protein intakes and changes in bone mineral density after 4 years. Researchers accounted for all factors known to increase bone-loss risk.

Volunteers with the lowest daily protein intakes lost significantly more bone than those with the highest intakes. Animal protein, as well as overall protein intake, was associated with preserving bone. The findings confirm several other large population studies. Katherine L. Tucker, Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, Boston, Massachusetts; phone (617) 556-3351, e-mail tucker@hnrc.tufts.edu.