The Role of Diet in Osteoporotic Fracture Risk

Introduction: Osteoporosis-related fractures constitute a considerable public health burden and nutrition is an important modifiable factor influencing bone health. Numerous micronutrients, macronutrients, and dietary components influence bone health, as well as dietary patterns. This short review describes the role of diet on osteoporosis fracture risk, investigating those dietary factors which improve bone health. Materials and Methods: Searching Pubmed and Web of Science, we performed a review of current literature. Results: This review reported the beneficial effects of micronutrients (e.g. calcium, vitamin D, potassium, magnesium, vitamin K, and vitamin B12), macronutrients (e.g. protein and carbohydrates), and foods (e.g. fish and seafood, fruits and vegetables) on osteoporotic fracture risk. A healthy diet, such as the Mediterranean diet, is important for decreasing osteoporotic fracture risk. A potential benefit on fracture risk is attributed to the “Healthy” and “Milk/dairy” dietary patterns which emphasise the intake of fruit, vegetables, whole grains, poultry and fish, nuts and legumes, and low-fat dairy products. By contrast, the unhealthy “Meat/Western” dietary pattern, characterised by high consumption of soft drinks, fried foods, meat and processed products, sweets and desserts, and refined grains, increased osteoporosis fracture risk. Conclusions: Diet plays an important role in bone health. A healthy diet prevents osteoporosis and reduces osteoporotic fracture risk.