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Key nutrition tips

  • Ensure an adequate calcium intake which meets the relevant dietary recommendations in the country or region concerned, at all stages of your life.

  • Maintain a sufficient supply of vitamin D through adequate, safe exposure to the sun, through diet, or through supplements.

  • Enjoy a balanced, nutritious diet including adequate protein, and plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables for both bone and general health benefits.

  • Safeguard a healthy body weight, as being underweight is a strong risk factor for osteoporosis (body mass index less than 18.5 kg/m2).

  • Move it or lose it: Weight bearing exercise (e.g. walking, running, gym, strength training, dancing) helps build bone mass and strength in the young, maintains bone density in adults, and slows down bone loss in the elderly.

  • Avoid smoking as it hampers the work of bone-building cells and increases the risk of fracture.

  • Avoid excessive alcohol consumption, as high intakes (more than 2 standard units per day) have been linked to increased risk of hip and other osteoporotic fractures.

  • Use salt and caffeine in moderation, as these can promote calcium loss from the body, especially if calcium intake is inadequate.

  • Assess your risk: If you are concerned you may be at risk of osteoporosis, fill out the IOF One-Minute Osteoporosis Risk Test, and if you answer 'yes' to any of the questions, talk to your doctor about whether you need to undergo further testing.

Selected facts on nutrition and osteoporosis:

  • Dairy foods, calcium-set tofu, some green vegetables, and small canned fish with soft bones (e.g. sardines) provide the most readily-available sources of dietary calcium.

  • Studies in children and adolescents have shown that supplementation with calcium, dairy calcium-enriched foods, milk or a calcium-enriched milk powder, enhances the rate of bone mineral acquisition.

  • Adequate levels of calcium intake can maximize the positive effect of physical activity on bone health during the growth period of children.

  • Calcium and vitamin D supplementation reduces rates of bone loss and also fracture rates in older male and female adults, and the elderly. In institutionalized elderly women, this combined supplementation reduced hip fracture rates.

  • A three-year study in healthy young women aged 30-42 years showed that enriching the diet with dairy foods prevented bone loss in the spine, compared with control subjects who did not increase their dietary calcium intake.

  • Supplementation with both vitamin D and calcium, compared with calcium alone, reduced body sway in elderly women, suggesting that correction of vitamin D deficiency may improve neuromuscular function and reduce the propensity to fall.

  • Poor nutritional status, especially with respect to protein intake, is an important risk factor for hip fracture, and can also contribute to poor recovery.

For more detailed information and references, see 'Nutrition fact sheet' (PDF, 38 KB)
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