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Are Probiotics the New Calcium and Vitamin D for Bone Health?

  • Nutrition, Exercise and Lifestyle in Osteoporosis (S Shapses and R Daly, Section Editors)
  • Published:
  • volume 18, pages 273–284 (2020)
Current Osteoporosis Reports Aims and scope Submit manuscript

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Abstract

Purpose of Review

Calcium and vitamin D supplementation is recommended for patients at high risk of fracture and/or for those receiving pharmacological osteoporosis treatments. Probiotics are micro-organisms conferring a health benefit on the host when administered in adequate amounts, likely by influencing gut microbiota (GM) composition and/or function. GM has been shown to influence various determinants of bone health.

Recent Findings

In animal models, probiotics prevent bone loss associated with estrogen deficiency, diabetes, or glucocorticoid treatments, by modulating both bone resorption by osteoclasts and bone formation by osteoblast. In humans, they interfere with 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels, and calcium intake and absorption, and slightly decrease bone loss in elderly postmenopausal women, in a quite similar magnitude as observed with calcium ± vitamin D supplements. A dietary source of probiotics is fermented dairy products which can improve calcium balance, prevent secondary hyperparathyroidism, and attenuate age-related increase of bone resorption and bone loss.

Summary

Additional studies are required to determine whether probiotics or any other interventions targeting GM and its metabolites may be adjuvant treatment to calcium and vitamin D or anti-osteoporotic drugs in the general management of patients with bone fragility.

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  1. Service of Bone Diseases, Geneva University Hospitals and Faculty of Medicine, 1211, Geneva 14, Switzerland

    René Rizzoli & Emmanuel Biver

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  1. René Rizzoli
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Dr. Rizzoli reports personal fees from Abiogen, Amgen, EuropeanMilkForum, Danone, Echolight, Mylan, Radius Health, Nestlé, Rejuvenate, Sandoz, and Theramex, outside the submitted work.

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Rizzoli, R., Biver, E. Are Probiotics the New Calcium and Vitamin D for Bone Health?. Curr Osteoporos Rep 18, 273–284 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11914-020-00591-6

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