Relationship between multi-nutrient intake and bone loss and osteoporosis in U.S. adults: Findings from NHANES

The relationship between dietary nutrient intake and bone mineral density (BMD) has not been clarified. In the U.S. population, we have demonstrated that dietary intake of multiple nutrients (potassium, magnesium, and sodium) is positively associated with BMD and negatively associated with the prevalence of osteopenia. This study examined whether there is an association between dietary potassium, magnesium, and sodium intake and BMD, osteopenia, and osteoporosis, using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys from 2005 to 2010, 2013 to 2014, and 2017 to 2018. We assessed the association of dietary potassium, magnesium, and sodium intake with BMD in 10,355 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey participants during 2005 to 2010, 2013 to 2014, and 2017 to 2018. BMD of the whole femur was estimated by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. We utilized multiple linear regression models to examine the associations of dietary potassium, magnesium, and sodium intake with femoral BMD, osteopenia, and osteoporosis, after adjusting for various confounders. Dietary potassium, magnesium, and sodium intake are positively correlated with femur BMD when corrected for the confounders of age, sex, race/ethnicity, smoking behavior, education level, body mass index, poverty income ratio, serum uric acid, serum cholesterol, potential renal acid load, dietary calcium intake, dietary protein intake, and dietary vitamin D intake. Dietary intake of potassium, magnesium, and sodium was adversely correlated with the development of osteopenia and osteoporosis. Our study showed that intake of dietary nutrients (potassium, magnesium, and sodium) was correlated positively to femur BMD and adversely to osteopenia and osteoporosis in the U.S. population. Further research is needed on the association of dietary elemental intake with BMD.