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 .
Inhibition of bone turnover by milk intake in postmenopausal women.
Increased postmenopausal bone turnover leads to bone loss and fragility fracture risk . In the absence of osteoporosis , risk preventive measures , particularly those modifying nutritional lifestyle , are appropriate . We tested the hypothesis that milk supplementation affects bone turnover related to biochemical markers in a direction that , in the long term , may be expected to reduce  postmenopausal bone loss .  Thirty healthy postmenopausal women aged 59.3 ( SD 3.3 ) years were enrolled in a prospect i ve crossover trial of 16 weeks . After a 4-week period of adaptation with diet providing 600 mg calcium plus 300 mg ingested as 250 ml semi-skimmed milk , participants were maintained during 6 weeks under the same 600 mg calcium diet and r and omized to receive either 500 ml semi-skimmed milk , thus providing a total of 1200 mg calcium , or no milk supplement . In the next 6 weeks they were switched to the alternative regimen . At the end of the each period , i.e. after 4 , 10 and 16 weeks , blood and urinary sample s were collected . The changes in blood variables between the periods of 6 weeks without and with milk supplementation were : for parathyroid hormone , -3.2 pg/ml ( P=0.0054 ) ; for crosslinked telopeptide of type I collagen , -624 pg/ml ( P<0.0001 ) ; for propeptide of type I procollagen , -5.5 ng/ml ( P=0.0092 ) ; for osteocalcin , -2.8 ng/ml ( P=0.0014 ) . In conclusion , a 6-week period of milk supplementation induced a decrease in several biochemical variables compatible with diminished bone turnover mediated by reduction in parathyroid hormone secretion . This nutritional approach to postmenopausal alteration in bone metabolism may be a valuable measure in the primary prevention of osteoporosis
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 .