The role of nutrition in prevention and management of osteoporosis

Calcium is not the only nutrient important for bone health, but it inevitably dominates any discussion of the subject. The reasons are easy to see. Bone is roughly two-thirds mineral by weight, and calcium makes up roughly 40% of that mineral. As is hardly surprising, therefore, inadequate calcium intake limits the bone mass a growing animal or human can achieve. Thus, if there is not enough calcium in the diet, or if it is poorly absorbed intake, skeletal mass will inevitably be limited. Nutritional influences on the skeleton can be adequately appreciated only in the context of the other forces that affect bone. Bone mass in the adult is the result of at least three major interactive factors: 1) heredity, 2) exercise, and 3) the nutritional and hormonal status of the person.