Bone is living tissue that renews itself all through life, and what is on your plate helps at every stage. Our bodies build bone quickly until peak bone mass is reached around age 30. After that, bone renewal slows, which makes everyday nutrition even more valuable.

Many Americans have low bone density, and conditions like osteopenia and osteoporosis are most common in women over 50. The good news is that nutrition and activity are factors we can shape at any age.

During childhood and adolescence, getting the nutrients the body needs supports normal growth and helps build peak bone mass.

Keeping bones strong and healthy is important for people of all ages. Nutrition is one of the factors we can influence for the benefit of our bone health.

Here are 8 nutrients that are essential to maintain your bone density:

1. Calcium

Calcium is a major building block of our bone tissue, and our skeleton houses 99 % of our body’s calcium stores. It plays numerous roles in our body, including building and maintaining bones and teeth, cardiovascular function, cell signaling, and muscle contraction.

There are two ways of how your body gets the calcium it needs. One is by eating calcium-containing foods or supplements. The other one is drawing from the calcium stores in your bones. If you don’t get enough calcium from your diet or supplements, your body will remove calcium from your bones.

So how much calcium per day do you need? The amount of calcium we need to consume changes at different stages in our life. Below are the current recommendations from the Institute of Medicine, by age and gender:

Age	Female	Male	Pregnant	Lactating
0-6 months	200 mg	200 mg
7-12 months	260 mg	260 mg
1-3 years	700 mg	700 mg
4-8 years	1,000 mg	1,000 mg
9-13 years	1,300 mg	1,300 mg
14-18 years	1,300 mg	1,300 mg	1,300 mg	1,300 mg
19-50 years	1,000 mg	1,000 mg	1,000 mg	1,000 mg
51-70 years	1,000 mg	1,200 mg
71+ years	1,200 mg	1,200 mg

Table 1: Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) for Calcium (2010). Institute of Medicine. Food and Nutrition Board. Dietary Reference Intakes for Calcium and Vitamin D

 

The recommended upper limit of calcium per day is 2,500 mg for adults up to age 50 and 2,000 mg for adults over 50.

Be sure to fuel your body with these calcium-rich foods to avoid a calcium deficiency:

• Seeds
• Cheese
• Legumes (beans, lentils)
• Almonds
• Leafy greens (kale, spinach)
• Figs

2. Vitamin D

Vitamin D has a special status for bone health since it increases the absorption of calcium and ensures the correct renewal and mineralization of bone tissue.

Vitamin D also supports muscle function and the immune system.

Severe vitamin D deficiency can cause rickets in children and osteomalacia, a softening of the bones, in adults. Even milder shortfalls are linked to weaker bones and muscles in older adults, which is why getting enough matters at every age.

A study from 2020 suggests, that about 1 billion people worldwide have vitamin D deficiency. In the adult population, 35 % of adults in the United States are short on vitamin D.

There are 3 ways to get enough vitamin D: through your skin, from your diet and supplements. Vitamin D is naturally formed by your body after exposure to sunlight. But be careful, too much sun exposure can also lead to skin aging and skin cancer.

The Institute of Medicine has set below an average daily level of vitamin D intake, by age and gender:

Age	Recommended Amount
0-12 months	400 IU (10 mcg)
1-13 years	600 IU (15 mcg)
14-18 years	600 IU (15 mcg)
19-50 years	600 IU (15 mcg)
51-70 years	600 IU (15 mcg)
71+ years	800 IU (20 mcg)
Pregnant and breastfeeding women	600 IU (15 mcg)

Table 2: Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) for Vitamin D (2010). Institute of Medicine, Food and Nutrition Board. Dietary Reference Intakes for Calcium and Vitamin D

 

The daily upper limit for vitamin D is 25-38 mcg (1,000-1,500 IU) for infants; 63-75 mcg (2,500-3,000 IU) for children 1-8 years; and 100 mcg (4,000 IU) for children 9 years and older, adults, and pregnant and lactating women.

Excessive ingestion of vitamin D can lead to vitamin D toxicity and damage the kidneys. Signs of toxicity include vomiting, poor appetite, constipation, weakness, and weight loss.

These foods will increase your vitamin D level:

• Fatty fish (salmon, cod, trout, mackerel, sardines, canned tuna, herring)
• Egg yolks
• Soybeans
• Calcium-fortified foods (cereal, oatmeal, orange juice, soymilk)
• Leafy greens (kale, spinach, Brussel sprouts)

3. Protein

Dietary proteins represent a key nutrient for bone health in addition to calcium and vitamin D. An adequate intake of proteins is essential for building peak bone mass during childhood and adolescence. Protein is also beneficial for preserving bone mass with aging.

Diets with adequate protein are associated with better bone density and less bone loss with age, especially when calcium and vitamin D intake are also adequate.

The recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for protein is 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram body weight, or 0.36 gram per pound. The RDA is the minimum daily amount of a nutrient you need to keep healthy. However, the right amount for any individual depends on multiple factors, including their activity level, age, muscle mass, or current state of health.

In older adults, getting enough protein helps preserve muscle mass and strength, which supports balance and helps protect against falls.

Here are some foods high in protein:

• Meat (Lean chicken or turkey breast, lean pork chops, lean beef steak)
• Fish and seafood
• Tofu
• Lentils
• Quinoa
• Seeds and nuts (almonds, pumpkin seeds, peanuts, sunflower seeds)
• Peanut butter
• Dairy products (cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, milk, parmesan)

 4. Magnesium

About 60 % of the body's magnesium is stored in bones. Magnesium is involved in the bone-building and influences the regulation of the calcium levels. Studies have associated greater bone mineral density with higher magnesium diets.

The recommended daily intake of magnesium is between 400 to 420 mg for men aged 14+ and 310 to 360 mg for women aged 14+. Pregnant and breastfeeding women should consume a higher daily amount of magnesium.

Magnesium deficiency is rare in generally well-nourished populations. But elderly people are sometimes at risk of magnesium deficiency, as magnesium absorption decreases with age.

Magnesium-rich foods are:

• Leafy greens (kale, spinach)
• Fruits (banana, figs, avocado, raspberries)
• Fatty fish (salmon, mackerel, tuna)
• Veggies ( broccoli, peas, cabbage, green beans, asparagus, brussel sprouts)
• Whole grains (brown rice, oats)
• Dark chocolate and raw cacao
• Tofu

5. Zinc

Zinc is required for bone tissue renewal and bone mineralization. Like copper, zinc in trace amounts is essential to collagen synthesis that helps provide a structural platform for bone formation.

Zinc also supports immune function and normal wound healing.

Zinc is needed for normal growth and development in children, and in older adults, adequate zinc intake is associated with better bone status.

The recommended daily amount of zinc is 8 mg for adult women and 11 mg for adult men. As with magnesium, excessive alcohol intake can reduce the supply of zinc.

Foods rich in zinc are:

• Red meat (beef, lamb, pork)
• Shellfish (oysters, shrimps)
• Legumes (chickpeas, lentils, beans)

6. B-Vitamins

Vitamins B6 and B12, as well as folate, help the body process homocysteine, an amino acid. High blood levels of homocysteine have been linked to lower bone density in older adults, and research on B vitamins and bone health is ongoing.

B vitamins also help the body make energy and red blood cells.

Here are vitamin B rich foods:

• Whole grains (brown rice, barley, millet)
• Legumes (edamame, lentils, kidney beans)
• Seeds and nuts (sunflower seeds, almonds)
• Fruits (citrus fruits, bananas, avocados)
• Eggs and and dairy products (milk, cheese, yogurt)
• Potatoes
• Meat (red meat, poultry, fish)

7. Vitamin C

Analysis of several studies has shown that vitamin C has a positive effect on bone health. It helps with bone formation and is also essential for healthy gums. Vitamin C is a critical modulator for the production of collagen, and offers also positive antioxidant effects.

Vitamin C deficiency is rare today, but because vitamin C is needed to make collagen, getting enough supports healthy gums, wound healing and bone formation.

The recommended daily intake of vitamin C for healthy adult men is 90 mg per day and for women 75 mg per day (120 mg per day for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding). Smokers have reduced amounts of vitamin C in their bodies and require 35 mg more vitamin C daily.

For adults, the tolerable upper intake level (UL) is 2,000 mg per day. Too much vitamin C is unlikely to be harmful as any excess is usually excreted in the urine rather than stored in the body. But high doses might cause nausea, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, headache, or insomnia.

The following foods are high in vitamin C:

• Fruits (papaya, kiwi, orange, strawberries, acerola cherries, blackcurrants)
• Chili peppers
• Red, green, and yellow pepper
• Herbs (thyme, parsley)
• Broccoli and tomatoes

8. Vitamin K

Our body needs vitamin K primarily to produce a protein and clotting factor called prothrombin. It is important in blood clotting and bone metabolism.

Vitamin K is involved in bone mineralization (ODS). Low vitamin K intake has been associated with lower bone density, and researchers are studying how vitamin K works together with vitamin D in bone metabolism.

The daily recommended intake (Adequate Intake) depends on age and sex: 60 mcg for children aged 9-13, 75 mcg for teenagers 14-18 years, 90 mcg for adult women and 120 mcg for adult men.

A tolerable upper limit has not been established for vitamin K from food, and toxicity is rare. If you take blood-thinning medication, talk with your doctor before changing your vitamin K intake.

Here are vitamin K high foods:

• Leafy greens (kale, spinach, collards, turnip greens, green leaf lettuce, swiss chard)
• Veggies (broccoli, Brussel sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, green beans)
• Meat (beef liver, pork chops, chicken, goose liver paste)
• Cereals

Conclusion

Often, we don't give much thought to our bones. It's worth remembering that bones are living, dynamic tissues that keep renewing themselves.

That means we can support our bone health every day with a nutrient-rich diet and an active lifestyle. Food comes first; if you think your diet may fall short, ask your doctor whether a supplement makes sense for you.

It's never too late to start caring for your bones, and the habits built early in life are a wonderful head start.

What is your favorite food to strengthen your bones? Leave us a comment below.

 

References

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Institute of Medicine (2001). Dietary reference intakes for vitamin A, vitamin K, arsenic, boron, chromium, copper, iodine, iron, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, silicon, vanadium, and zinc. Retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/

Institute of Medicine IOM (1997). Dietary Reference Intakes: Calcium, Phosphorus, Magnesium, Vitamin D, and Fluoride. Retrieved from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/

Institute of Medicine US (2000). Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Selenium, and Carotenoids. Retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/

International Osteoporosis Foundation. Good Nutrition for Healthy Bones. Retrieved from: https://www.iofbonehealth.org/ (2020, May 26)

Rerksuppaphol, S., Rerksuppaphol, L. (2016). Effect of zinc plus multivitamin supplementation on growth in school children. Pediatrics International. Retrieved from: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/

Robb-Nicholson, Celeste (2010, March). By the way, doctor: What's the right amount of vitamin C for me? Retrieved from: https://www.health.harvard.edu/

Ross AC, Taylor CL, Yaktine AL, Del Valle HB (2011). Dietary Reference Intakes for Calcium and Vitamin D. Institute of Medicine (US). Retrieved from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/

Weber, P. (2001, October 17). Vitamin K and bone health. Nutrition. Retrieved from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/

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