In older people with osteoporosis , higher protein intake ( ≥ 0.8-g/kg body weight/day , i.e. , above the current RDA ) is associated with higher BMD , a slower rate of bone loss , and reduced risk of hip fracture , provided that dietary calcium intakes are adequate .
Intervention with dietary protein supplements attenuate age-related BMD decrease and reduce bone turnover marker levels , together with an increase in IGF-I and a decrease in PTH .
There is no evidence that diet-derived acid load is deleterious for bone health .
Thus , insufficient dietary protein intakes may be a more severe problem than protein excess in the elderly .
A summary of systematic review s and meta-analyses addressing the benefits and risks of dietary protein intakes  for  bone health in adults suggests that dietary protein levels even above the current RDA may be beneficial in reducing bone loss and hip fracture risk , provided calcium intakes are adequate .
Several systematic review s and meta-analyses have addressed the benefits and risks of dietary protein intakes for bone health in adults .
Adequate supplies of dietary protein are required for optimal bone growth and maintenance of healthy bone .
Variation in protein intakes within the “ normal ” range accounts for 2–4 % of BMD variance in adults .
Protein consumption and bone fractures in women.
Dietary protein increases urinary calcium losses and has been associated with higher rates of hip fracture in cross-cultural studies . However , the relation between protein and risk of  osteoporotic bone fractures among individuals has not been examined in detail . In this prospect i ve study , usual dietary intake was measured in 1980 in a cohort of 85,900 women , aged 35 - 59 years , who were participants in the Nurses ' Health Study . A mailed food frequency question naire was used and incident hip ( n = 234 ) and distal forearm ( n = 1,628 ) fractures were identified by self-report during the following 12 years . Information on other factors related to osteoporosis , including obesity , use of postmenopausal estrogen , smoking , and physical activity , was collected on biennial question naires . Dietary measures were up date d in 1984 and 1986 . Protein was associated with an increased risk of forearm fracture ( relative risk ( RR ) = 1.22 , 95 % confidence interval ( Cl ) 1.04 - 1.43 , p for trend = 0.01 ) for women who consumed more than 95 g per day compared with those who consumed less than 68 g per day . A similar increase in risk was observed for animal protein , but no association was found for consumption of vegetable protein . Women who consumed five or more servings of red meat per week also had a significantly increased risk of forearm fracture ( RR = 1.23 , 95 % Cl 1.01 - 1.50 ) compared with women who ate red meat less than once per week . Recall of teenage diet did not reveal any increased risk of forearm fracture for women with higher consumption of animal protein or red meat during this earlier period of life . No association was observed between  adult protein intake  and the incidence of hip fractures , though power to assess this association was low
In older people with osteoporosis , higher protein intake ( ≥ 0.8-g/kg body weight/day , i.e. , above the current RDA ) is associated with higher BMD , a slower rate of bone loss , and reduced risk of hip fracture , provided that dietary calcium intakes are adequate .
Intervention with dietary protein supplements attenuate age-related BMD decrease and reduce bone turnover marker levels , together with an increase in IGF-I and a decrease in PTH .
There is no evidence that diet-derived acid load is deleterious for bone health .
Thus , insufficient dietary protein intakes may be a more severe problem than protein excess in the elderly .
A summary of systematic review s and meta-analyses addressing the benefits and risks of dietary protein intakes  for  bone health in adults suggests that dietary protein levels even above the current RDA may be beneficial in reducing bone loss and hip fracture risk , provided calcium intakes are adequate .
Several systematic review s and meta-analyses have addressed the benefits and risks of dietary protein intakes for bone health in adults .
Adequate supplies of dietary protein are required for optimal bone growth and maintenance of healthy bone .
Variation in protein intakes within the “ normal ” range accounts for 2–4 % of BMD variance in adults .