LINUS PAULING INSTITUTE BONE HEALTH Your bones work hard. Give them the support they need to keep you going strong.
The Skeleton’s Major Functions
1. Enables us to move 3. Contains bone marrow 2. Supports and protects the body 4. Stores large amounts of calcium and phosphorus
Strong Bones Need
Essential Nutrients Balanced Lifestyle Build and maintain bone tissue Keeps bones strong throughout all life stages
Bone Biology
BONE IS MADE OF
Type 1 Collagen that constitutes the interior scaffolding of bone Calcium and Phosphorus Crystals that add strength to bone Bone Cells that are responsible for bone (re)modeling
BONE MASS OVER A LIFETIME Bones grow throughout childhood, adolescence, and well into adulthood. Around age 34, there is an inevitable loss of bone mass with age, accelerated with menopause in women. Modeling During childhood and adolescence, bones grow in size and shape. Remodeling During adulthood, new bone replaces brittle bone, cracks, and deformities. Balanced Lifestyle
Drinking 2–3 cups of coffee a *30–60 min of daily Eating a balanced diet is Light drinking is safe for bone day is safe for bone health. moderate-to-high physical essential to support bone health, but excessive amounts activity is recommended to health. are harmful. strengthen bones and muscles.
Most people consume too Quitting smoking improves Avoid soft drinks in place of *Any amount of physical much sodium; reduce your bone health and lowers other milk and other calcium-rich activity is better than none and sodium intake to prevent its health risks. foods. will bring some benefits to bone harmful effect on bone health. health throughout life.
Essential Nutrients
* Calcium and Vitamin D are of primary importance for bone health
Recommendation for dietary intake of essential nutrients: Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) 1. Covers the needs of ~98% of the population in a given gender and life-stage group 2. Can be used as a goal for intakes by individuals Adequate Intake (AI) 1. Used when an RDA cannot be determined Essential Nutrients Continued
CALCIUM VITAMIN D FLUORIDE
Good Sources to help meet the Good Sources to help meet the Good Sources to help meet the ai rda for Calcium rda* for Vitamin D for Fluoride
Women years, , mgday All Adults > years, µgday , mg µg mg Men, mgday Men years, , mgday
Women ≤ years, , mgday Men ≤ years, , mgday All Adults – years, µgday Women, mgday
Plain Yogurt ( cup) Salmon ( ounces) mg . µg
Supplements µg Fluoridated Water Sardines ( can) ( cup) mg .–. mg µg mg Milk, Fortied mg Collard Greens ( cup) (½ cup) Black Tea ( cup) . µg mg . mg mg mg milligram µg µg microgram, µg IU mg mg milligram
Functions Functions Function
1. Calcium is a major structural 1. Vitamin D is a fat-soluble 1. Fluoride increases the component of bones. vitamin that promotes bone health structural stability of bones through regulating calcium and through interacting with calcium 2. Calcium in bone can be released phosphorus balance in the body. phosphate salts. in the blood when the need arises. 2. Severe deficiency in children Fluoride exposure through Children with low calcium intakes and adults results in serious community water fluoridation will not reach their maximum skeletal disorders. (<3.4mg/day) has no benefit in the bone density and strength. prevention of osteoporosis and Older people are at high risk fracture. Low calcium intakes in adults can of poor vitamin D status due accelerate bone loss and increase to little sun exposure, a lower Fluoride supplementation is not the risk of osteoporosis and capacity for vitamin D synthesis approved for use in the prevention fracture. in skin, and reduced dairy intake. or treatment of osteoporosis. Supplementation has been Supplemental calcium (and recommended to support bone vitamin D) primarily benefit health and help prevent falls in elderly adults in nursing care. this population. Whether calcium intakes beyond the RDA can reduce risk in * The LPI recommends 50 µg (2,000 community-dwelling older adults IU)/day of vitamin D for adults. In is debated. a 25-hydroxyvitamin D serum test, you should aim for at least 30 ng/ mL (75 nmol/L). Essential Nutrients Continued
MAGNESIUM POTASSIUM PROTEIN
Good Sources to help meet the Good Sources to help meet the ai Good Sources to help meet the rda for Magnesium for Potassium rda for Protein
, mg g mg All Adults, , mgday Men, gday Men years, mgday Men – years, mgday
Women, gday Women years, mgday Women – years, mgday
Spinach ( cup) Potato with Skin mg ( medium) mg Turkey ( oz) g
Brown Rice ( cup) Prunes (½ cup) mg mg Peanuts (½ cup) g , mg Almonds ( ounce, Banana ( medium) g Pinto Beans (½ cup) mg nuts) mg g mg mg mg milligram mg mg milligram g g gram
Function Function Function
1. About 60% of magnesium is 1. Potassium salts may prevent 1. Proteins are essential to build found in bone, which can supply calcium release from bone and strong bones. the body when need arises. loss of calcium in the urine that are caused by the consumption Adequate protein intakes are Higher magnesium intakes are of diets with high sources of needed to maintain muscle mass linked to lower risk of poor vitamin acid (fish, meat, cheese) and low and limit falls and fractures in D status. in sources of alkali (fruit and older adults. vegetables). There is no evidence that Higher protein intakes are likely magnesium supplementation Adopting a diet that increases to be protective unless calcium could help prevent osteoporosis potassium intake and reduces intakes are inadequate, in which and fracture. sodium intake (i.e., high in fruit, case higher protein intakes may be vegetables, and dairy; low in meat) harmful. might help support bone health. Essential Nutrients Continued
VITAMIN A VITAMIN C VITAMIN K
Good Sources to help meet the Good Sources to help meet the Good Sources to help meet the ai rda for Vitamin A rda for Vitamin C for Vitamin K
, µg mg All Adults, mgday µg Kale ( cup) Men, µg day µg
Women, µg day
Sweet Potato, Canned (½ cup) Sweet Red Pepper µg (½ cup) mg
Carrot (½ cup) Spinach ( cup) µg Kiwifruit µg ( medium) µg mg mg Men, µgday µg Egg ( large) Women, µgday µg Strawberries ( cup) Canola Oil ( tbsp) µg µg microgram; RAE retinol activity equivalents mg µg µg mg mg milligram µg microgram
Function Function Function
1. Vitamin A (retinol) is a fat- 1. Vitamin C is required during 1. Vitamin K is essential for the soluble vitamin involved in the the synthesis of collagen, which activity of several bone proteins growth and differentiation of constitutes 90% of the bone involved in bone formation and virtually all cells in the body. matrix upon which bone minerals turnover. are deposited. Striving for the RDA for vitamin There is little evidence A is a safe goal for optimizing The evidence is too limited to supporting a benefit of vitamin K bone health. Habitual vitamin A suggest a benefit of vitamin C supplementation in the prevention intakes greater than the RDA may supplements in the prevention of of osteoporosis. increase the risk of osteoporosis bone loss. and fracture. Taking vitamin K supplements can be dangerous for people at risk Vitamin A supplements should of blood clots and those taking be reserved for undernourished blood-thinning medications. populations and those with evidence of vitamin A deficiency. Essential Nutrients Continued
VITAMIN B6 FOLATE VITAMIN B12
Good Sources to help meet the Good Sources to help meet the Good Sources to help meet the rda for Vitamin B6 rda for Folate rda* for Vitamin B12
mg μg µg DFE Pregnant Women, µg DFEday Clams ( oz) μg Men ( ), . mgday
Women ( ), . mgday . μg Adults (–), . μgday Adults (–), . mgday Adults, µg DFEday Lentils Turkey ( ounces) (½ cup) . mg µg DFE
Salmon ( ounces) Spinach . mg (½ cup) µg DFE Turkey ( oz) Pistachio Nuts . mg Enriched Sliced . μg ( ounce) µg DFE Bread . mg ( slice) . μg Egg ( large) µg DFE . μg µg DFE µg microgram; DFE Dietary Folate Equivalents µg µg microgram mg mg milligram
Functions of B vitamins
1. Vitamin B6, folate and vitamin B12 work together to lower blood homocysteine concentration.
2. Too much homocysteine in the blood is associated with reduced bone mineral density and osteopenia.
Meeting recommended intake levels for B vitamins with food and/or supplements helps to lower homocysteine concentration in blood.
However, B-vitamin supplementation does not reduce the risk of fracture.
*For adults over 50, the LPI recommends 100–400 µg per day
of supplemental vitamin B12.
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