Nutrition counseling for patients with osteoporosis: a personal approach

Patients are often bombarded with information from the internet, family, friends, and television about what is good and bad for their bones-particularly in the area of diet and nutrition. Although some information is valid and evidence based, much is not. Patients often believe that adequate nutrition alone is enough to improve bone density and decrease fragility fracture risk. Although calcium and vitamin D remain the mainstays of medical nutrition therapy, many patients are not receiving adequate counseling on how to get the right amounts of these 2 nutrients and may not understand that calcium and vitamin D are but 2 of many factors in this multifactorial disease. Clinicians must listen carefully to their patients' concerns, beliefs, and questions and help them develop a personalized plan to achieve their daily calcium and vitamin D intakes. Clinicians must stay apprised of the recent research in nutrition and bone health and evaluate the evidence to adequately educate their patients.