Dietary habit and bone mineral density in Korean postmenopausal women

Postmenopausal women were assessed to determine the association between dietary intake of various food groups and low bone mineral density. Among dietary factors, high consumption of protein-containing food and dairy products was associated with a reduced risk for low bone mineral density.

There have been several studies regarding the correlation between bone mineral density and dietary intake. In this study, we assessed the association between dietary habit and low bone mineral density among Korean postmenopausal women.

Bone mineral density of the lumbar spine was measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry in 2,501 subjects. A brief food frequency questionnaire, which included 16 food items, was used in this cross-sectional survey.

After adjusting for other risk factors related to low bone mineral density, a high intake frequency of protein-source food was associated with a lower risk for osteopenia (odds ratio (OR), 0.68; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.54-0.87 for high vs. low intake frequency; p for trend, 0.02) and osteoporosis (OR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.39-0.83 for high vs. low intake frequency; p for trend, 0.003), and a high intake frequency of dairy food was associated with a decreased risk for osteopenia (OR, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.57-0.94 for high vs. low intake frequency; p for trend, 0.018).

These results suggest that adequate nutrient intake is essential to maintain bone health in postmenopausal women.