What are the dietary recommendations for someone with osteoporosis?

Someone with osteoporosis should continue to take vitamin D and calcium throughout her life. Foods that are rich in these are milk, yogurt, cheese, dark green leafy vegetables and some cereals fortified with vitamin D. An osteoporotic also should limit her alcohol intake and should not smoke.

A high-protein diet is associated with increased excretion of calcium in the urine and increased risk of osteoporosis, too. In contrast, a vegetarian diet is associated with a lower risk of osteoporosis. A diet high in salt or acid ash also causes calcium removal from bones and increases calcium loss in the urine. Therefore, we recommend avoiding salt and eating an alkaline-based diet. Basically, an alkaline diet is one that focuses on vegetables, fruit, nuts, and legumes while avoiding overconsumption of meat and dairy products.

Soft drinks containing phosphates (phosphoric acid) are definitely linked to osteoporosis because they lead to lower calcium levels and higher phosphate levels in the blood. When phosphate levels are high and calcium levels are low, calcium is pulled out of the bones. The phosphate content of soft drinks, such as Coca-Cola and Pepsi, is very high, and they contain virtually no calcium.Refined sugar intake also increases the loss of calcium from the bone. Regular consumption of refined sugar increases loss of calcium from the blood through the urine.

A deficiency in trace minerals can also predispose to osteoporosis. Green leafy vegetables from the cabbage family, including broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kale, collards, and mustard greens, as well as green tea, offer significant protection against osteoporosis. These foods are rich sources of a broad range of vitamins and minerals that are important to maintaining healthy bones, including calcium, vitamin K1, and boron. In addition, soy foods, such as tofu, soy milk, roasted soybeans and soy extract powders, may be beneficial in preventing osteoporosis. Alfalfa is another isoflavone- and vitamin K-rich food that can be included in the diet.

While numerous clinical studies have demonstrated that calcium supplementation can help prevent bone loss, the data are inconclusive in regard to any link between a high dietary calcium intake from milk and prevention of osteoporosis and bone fractures. In fact, women who drank two or more glasses of milk per day had an increased relative risk of 45 percent for hip fracture compared to women consuming one glass or less per week. In other words, the more milk a woman consumed, the more likely she was to experience a hip fracture. This negative effect may turn out to be due to the vitamin A added to milk (at higher levels, vitamin A-but not beta-carotene-may interfere with bone formation).