Author
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Roughead, Zamzam |
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Submitted to: Journal of Nutrition
Publication Type: Proceedings Publication Acceptance Date: 9/20/2003 Publication Date: 3/1/2003 Citation: Roughead, Z.K. 2003. Is the interaction between dietary protein and calcium destructive or constructive for bone? Summary. Journal of Nutrition. 133:866S-869S. Interpretive Summary: This commentary summarizes the presentations and the discussions at a recent symposium entitled, ¿New Perspectives in Dietary Protein and Bone Health.¿ This symposium was organized by the Nutrition and Bone Working Group of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR) and held at the Society¿s 2002 Annual Meeting in San Antonio, Texas. The skeletal system is a dynamic tissue that has evolved to serve two major functions: provision of structural integrity for locomotion and a metabolic reservoir for mineral homeostasis and acid-base balance. It is the latter function that placed the nutrients calcium and protein, the main constituents of bone matrix, in the forefront of the discussions at this symposium. This program was a followup to a similar symposium sponsored by this group 5 years earlier entitled, ¿Does Excess Protein Adversely Affect Bone?¿ As is evident from the symposium title, the presentations by the three speakers and the dialogue that followed challenged the participants to consider new possibilities regarding the role of dietary protein in bone health. More specifically, the discussions questioned the long-held belief that dietary protein is an antagonist to calcium balance and emphasized recent findings in support of a dose-dependent positive synergistic interaction between dietary protein and calcium in bone metabolism. Recent findings indicate that dietary protein may have a constructive role in bone metabolism through local and systemic effects which include the IGF-1 axis proteins. With this new perspective in mind, future studies should be designed to evaluate the interaction between graded intakes of dietary protein and calcium, in the context of whole diets. Although the bulk of the discussion thus far has focused on the older adult, the design of these studies should be sensitive to the differences in nutrient requirements and the common dietary practices during all stages of the life cycle. The ultimate goal of these studies would be to define dietary practices that maximize the potential synergism between these nutrients and yield optimal bone health in all segments of the population. Technical Abstract: This commentary summarizes the presentations and the discussions at a recent symposium entitled, ¿New Perspectives in Dietary Protein and Bone Health.¿ This symposium was organized by the Nutrition and Bone Working Group of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR) and held at the Society¿s 2002 Annual Meeting in San Antonio, Texas. The skeletal system is a dynamic tissue that has evolved to serve two major functions: provision of structural integrity for locomotion and a metabolic reservoir for mineral homeostasis and acid-base balance. It is the latter function that placed the nutrients calcium and protein, the main constituents of bone matrix, in the forefront of the discussions at this symposium. This program was a followup to a similar symposium sponsored by this group 5 years earlier entitled, ¿Does Excess Protein Adversely Affect Bone?¿ As is evident from the symposium title, the presentations by the three speakers and the dialogue that followed challenged the participants to consider new possibilities regarding the role of dietary protein in bone health. More specifically, the discussions questioned the long-held belief that dietary protein is an antagonist to calcium balance and emphasized recent findings in support of a dose-dependent positive synergistic interaction between dietary protein and calcium in bone metabolism. Recent findings indicate that dietary protein may have a constructive role in bone metabolism through local and systemic effects which include the IGF-1 axis proteins. With this new perspective in mind, future studies should be designed to evaluate the interaction between graded intakes of dietary protein and calcium, in the context of whole diets. Although the bulk of the discussion thus far has focused on the older adult, the design of these studies should be sensitive to the differences in nutrient requirements and the common dietary practices during all stages of the life cycle. The ultimate goal of these studies would be to define dietary practices that maximize the potential synergism between these nutrients and yield optimal bone health in all segments of the population. |
