The hypothesis that a high dietary ratio of animal protein to vegetable protein increases bone loss and risk of fracture was studied in a prospective cohort of 1035 women who participated in the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures (SOF). White community-dwelling women were recruited for the study and were aged > 65 years.
Recent dietary history (over the preceding 12 months) was assessed using a "validated" food frequency questionnaire. Intakes of protein were calculated from this questionnaire. BMD was measured using DXA at the total hip and subregions. Two BMD measurements were taken with an average of 3.6 years (SD 0.4 years) between each assessment. The rate of bone loss was calculated as the percentage difference between 2 BMD measurements in a subset of the participants (n = 742). Hip fractures were assessed prospectively for 7 years (SD 1.5 years), and fracture data were available for all the 1035 women for whom the dietary data were collected. Fractures were confirmed with radiographs and a review of the radiologist reports.
Results were intriguing. Women with a higher ratio of animal to vegetable protein intake had a higher rate of bone loss at the femoral neck than did those with a low ratio, as well as a greater risk of hip fracture (relative risk = 3.7). These findings remained significant after adjustment for important confounding factors, including age, weight, estrogen use, tobacco use, physical activity, and total Ca and protein intake.
These findings provide further support for a link between vegetable-based proteins and indices of bone health and suggest that a decrease in animal protein and an increase in vegetable protein may decrease bone loss and risk of hip fracture.
This paper provides further support for a randomized, controlled supplementation trial of fruit and vegetables, or animal- vs vegetable-based proteins, on indices of bone health and lends further support to the idea of a link between acid- and alkaline-forming foods.
The role of the skeleton in acid-base balance has been gaining increasing prominence in the literature from a combination of experimental (at the human, animal, and cellular level), clinical, and observational studies.[3,4] As shown in Table 3, there have been a number of population-based studies suggesting a positive association between high intakes of fruit and vegetables and bone health, with remarkable similarities of findings in 2 of the largest (and most recent) nutrition and bone health observation studies.[5-7]
The table denotes positive effect of nutrients with indices of bone health
Author Year Country Details Findings Eaton-Evans et al 1993 UK 77 females, 46-56 years Vegetables Michaelsson et al 1995 Sweden 175 females, 28-74 years K Intake New et al 1997 UK 994 females, 45-49 years K, Mg, fiber, vitamin C Past intake of fruit & vegetable New et al 1998 UK 164 females, 55-87 years K, fruit & vegetables Tucker et al 1999 USA 229 males: 349 females, 75 years K, Mg, fruit & vegetables New et al 2000b UK 62 females, 45-54 years K, Mg, fiber, vitamin C Past intake of Fruit & Vegetable
Source: New SA. Nutrition, exercise and bone health. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society 2001;60(2):265-274. Reproduced with permission
The findings of the first population-based fruit and vegetable intervention trial (Dietary Approaches to Stopping Hypertension - DASH) provide further support for this theory. This study showed, as a secondary finding, a positive effect on Ca economy.[8] An increase in fruit and vegetable intake from 3.6 to 9.5 daily servings decreased urinary Ca excretion from 157 mg/24 hours to 110 mg/24 hours.
The fruit and vegetable link to bone health is an exciting area for further research. Suprisingly, the theoretical considerations have been discussed for over 3 decades,[9] but only recently have they received much greater attention.[10-12]