High-protein diet may lower bone density in postmenopausal women

A high protein diet for obese menopausal women may help in weight loss, but it could also lower bone density, says a new research.

 

Wayne W Campbell and doctoral student Minghua Tang found in their study that all of the women who ate the energy-reduced diets successfully lost weight, but the groups that consumed the higher-protein meat-containing diets also lost bone mineral density.

"However, we also found that these older women lost bone mineral density faster than women who consumed normal protein diets that did not contain any meats. This finding is of concern for this age group that is susceptible to osteoporosis," said Campbell.

"Our findings highlight that amount and sources of protein are important to consider when choosing a weight-loss diet.

 

"Each individual needs to evaluate, or consult with a dietician about how to achieve and sustain a healthy body weight and body composition, including muscle and bone," he added.

 

The findings are published online in the Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences and will be printed in September.