Researchers at the University of California at San Francisco say women don't need to give up meat and cheese, but they should eat more vegetables and fruit. A simple bit of chemistry may explain why vegetables protect against bone loss. Animal products contain acids or produce acids in the body when they are metabolized. Younger people eliminate these acids in their urine. With age, however, the kidneys become less efficient and more acids accumulate, so the body takes calcium from the bones to neutralize the acids.
Plants have acids, too, but they also have a chemical known as a bicarbonate that buffers the acids.
The BBC News describes the effect that a diet high in animal protein has on women's bone mass. Previous HealthScout stories add that older women can boost their bone mass through athletic training and by taking low-dose estrogen supplements . There's no reason to think this advice shouldn't apply to older men as well. Some studies estimate that as many as 30 percent of hip fractures occur in men. As the life spans of men grow longer, osteoporosis becomes a problem for them as well.