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Protein and Your Bones

For a long time it was assumed (in the face of very little direct evidence) that high-protein diets would cause bone loss. Over the years, research kept showing that this was not the case, that in fact the reverse might even be true. (Low-Carb/High-Protein Diets and Bone Density) However, it's not difficult to find people who still assert that too much protein in the diet will cause a loss in bone density leading to osteoporosis. This month, in the prestigious American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, there is a study which looks into this research and analyzes it. The authors went through past research (30 years worth) and pulled out the studies which compared various amounts of protein in the diet and had outcomes directly related to bone strength, such as bone density and fracture rate. Their conclusions? Almost all of the studies either showed a positive influence of protein on bone mineral density or no effect. They concluded that the current evidence is that there is a small positive effect of protein, though there is little evidence to date that eating more protein leads to fewer bone fractures. (However, it is not clear that this issue has been adequately studied.) As the researchers admit, they are limited by the types of studies which have been done, and no doubt more information will come out as more research is conducted. But certainly they found no evidence that a high-protein diet will have a negative effect on bone health. Image © Sebastian Kaulitzki Related Resources: Low-Carb Diets and Bone Health High-Protein Food List How Much Protein Do You Need? Protein and Your Bones originally appeared on About.com Low Carb Diets on Friday, November 27th, 2009 at 00:59:28.Permalink | Comment | Email this
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