Diets high in meat keep the bones healthy

This study was published in the Journal of Nutrition 2003 Apr;133(4):1020-6

Study title and authors:
Controlled high meat diets do not affect calcium retention or indices of bone status in healthy postmenopausal women.

Roughead ZK, Johnson LK, Lykken GI, Hunt JR.
Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Grand Forks, ND 58202-9034, USA. froughea@gfhnrc.ars.usda.gov

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12672913

The study compared the effects of high and low meat diets on body calcium retention. The study included 15 postmenopausal women, aged 50 to 75, who consumed diets with similar calcium content (approximately 600 mg), but either low or high in meat (12 vs. 20% of energy as protein) for 8 weeks each.

The study found:
(a) Women on the high meat diet retained 1.5% more calcium than women on the low meat diet.
(b) Women on the high meat diet absorbed 1.5% more calcium than women on the low meat diet.

In contrast to the long-standing (mistaken) belief that a high meat intake lowers the body’s calcium levels and adversely affects bone health, the results from the study indicate that adding meat to the diet helps calcium retention and bone metabolism in postmenopausal women.

Eating meat increases bone mineral density

Published in the Am J Epidemiol. 2002 Apr 1;155(7):636-44.

Protein consumption and bone mineral density in the elderly : the Rancho Bernardo Study.
Promislow JH, Goodman-Gruen D, Slymen DJ, Barrett-Connor E.
Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11914191
 
A study of 572 women and 388 men aged 55-92 years found that their bone mineral density increased over a four year period as they consumed more dietary animal protein

In contrast consumption of vegetable protein was associated with a decrease in bone mineral density.

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High meat consumption prevents osteoporosis

Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition & Metabolic Care: November 2010 - Volume 13 - Issue 6 - p 698–702 doi: 10.1097/MCO.0b013e32833df691

Purpose of review: Update recent advancements regarding the effect of high-animal protein intakes on calcium utilization and bone health.
Henry C. Lukaski and Gil Hardy

This paper can be accessed at: http://journals.lww.com/co-clinicalnutrition/Abstract/2010/11000/Acid_diet__high_meat_protein__effects_on_calcium.16.aspx
 
The study found that a high protein diet (meat) is beneficial to calcium utilization and bone health, especially in the elderly and is important for osteoporosis prevention.
 
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