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Dairy Products, Vitamin D, and Bone Health

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Nutritional Influences on Bone Health

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Abstract

Osteoporosis is a major public health problem affecting over 200 million people worldwide. Dairy foods such as milk, cheese, and yogurt provide a unique set of nutrients, such as calcium, protein, vitamin D (in fortified dairy), magnesium, and potassium, which are thought to be beneficial for bone health. There is strong evidence for a positive association between milk and areal bone mineral density (aBMD), and limited evidence for yogurt intake with BMD looks promising. However, data on cheese and cream is very limited. Vitamin D is involved in calcium homeostasis, suggesting that both adequate levels of calcium and vitamin D are needed to ensure optimal calcium absorption. Results from the Framingham Study demonstrated that a higher intake of dairy foods (milk, milk + yogurt, and milk + yogurt + cheese) was protective against bone loss among vitamin D supplement users but not among nonusers. This suggests that adequate vitamin D levels may provide bone-protective benefits with higher dairy intakes. Only few studies have examined the association of dairy food intake with novel measures of bone, derived using quantitative computed tomography (QCT) and high-resolution peripheral QCT (HR-pQCT). These studies show positive associations at the radius, tibia, and spine with high dairy intakes. Future studies of dairy products should focus on (1) novel measures of bone beyond aBMD and (2) specific dairy foods (3) and should consider vitamin D status.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Human Nutrition, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, Netherlands

    Laura H. van Dongen

  2. Musculoskeletal Research Center, Institute for Aging Research, Hebrew SeniorLife Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    S. Sahni

Authors
  1. Laura H. van Dongen
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  2. S. Sahni
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to S. Sahni .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Nutrition and Science, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA

    Connie M. Weaver

  2. Geriatrics and Aging Research, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

    Heike Bischoff-Ferrari

  3. Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition, Deakin University , Melbourne, VIC, Australia

    Robin M. Daly

  4. Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Hong Kong

    Man-Sau Wong

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van Dongen, L.H., Sahni, S. (2019). Dairy Products, Vitamin D, and Bone Health. In: Weaver, C., Bischoff-Ferrari, H., Daly, R., Wong, MS. (eds) Nutritional Influences on Bone Health. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-98464-3_18

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-98464-3_18

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-98463-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-98464-3

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