Protein Intake Shapes Osteoporosis Drug Benefits More Than Calcium Supplements
In a Swiss GERICO cohort of 586 older, largely postmenopausal women with adequate calcium intake, calcium supplements did not improve hip bone mineral density or bone strength during osteoporosis treatment. However, low dietary protein intake (<0.8 g/kg/day) attenuated the bone-sparing benefits of antiresorptive therapy, suggesting that ensuring sufficient protein may be more important than calcium supplementation when dietary calcium is already adequate. The study followed participants for about 3.5 years using DEXA and finite element analysis.