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Eating
a diet high in protein and taking calcium and vitamin D supplements
may help healthy older people increase their total body bone
mineral density (BMD), according to researchers at Tufts University
in Boston, Massachusetts. Bone mineral density is a critical
key in the prevention of osteoporosis.
Researchers
studied the association between the intake of protein and
changes in the BMD in 342 healthy adults aged 65 and older.
The randomized, three-year, placebo-controlled study used
supplements consisting of 500 mg of calcium as calcium citrate
malate and 700 IU of vitamin D given daily.
Using
a food-frequency questionnaire, researchers assessed the participants'
intake of protein at 18 months. A dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry
was used to assess the participants' BMD every six months.
Participants
in the supplement group took an average of 1,346 mg of calcium
daily. Those in the non-supplement group took an average of
871 mg per day. The average protein intake for both groups
was up to 79.1 grams per day.
An increase
in total body BMD was found with a 20 percent higher intake
of protein in the supplement group, according to the study
published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The
participants given a placebo did not experience this change.
Researchers
found that the type of protein the participants consumed did
not figure into their findings, whether it was animal or plant
protein.
Source:
Medical Week staff,
week of April 7, 2002
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