Dairy Products
Milk provides many nutrients needed for bone health. One liter of milk provides 32 to 35 g/l protein, 1,200 mg/l calcium, 930 mg/l phosphorus, essential trace elements and vitamins, and a number of cellular growth factors [
36]. Dairy consumption was shown as early as 8′000 years BC by the presence of dairy proteins in dental calculus from skeletons in East Africa [
37].
In adults, the effects of milk supplementation on bone health were assessed in a meta-analysis of 20 randomized controlled trials [
38]. Compared to controls, milk supplementation resulted in a small but significant higher lumbar spine and total hip BMD (+ 0.004 and + 0.025 g/cm2, respectively), as well as with lower levels of CTX (-0.16 ng/ml), P1NP (-5.20 ng/ml) and PTH (-1.01 pg/ml). IGF-I was increased in the intervention groups (+ 1.79 nmol/l).
Observational studies show mixed results for the effect of dairy consumption and fracture risk (reviewed in [
2,
36]). The dairy products’ matrix refers to the interaction and structure of its different components, the particular digestion, absorption and bioavailability of which may explain why various dairy products produce various effects. Fermented dairy products in particular have been shown protective against age-related bone loss [
39,
40]. In a 20-year follow-up of 61,433 women, the risk of hip fracture was 0.70 and 0.64 for consumers of 400 g/day of yogurt or fermented milk, and of cheese, respectively [
41]. For each serving (200 g of yogurt or 20 g of cheese), hip fracture risk was reduced by 10–15%. In a meta-analysis of 102,819 subjects, yoghurt consumption was associated with a 24% lower hip fracture risk [
42]. Cheese consumption was shown to be protective against total fracture relative risk, i.e.0.90 (95% CI 0.86–0.95) compared to non-consumers in an umbrella review and meta-analysis of prospective studies [
43].
Perhaps the strongest evidence for the role of dairy products on protection against fracture is from a large RCT in 7195 vitamin D-replete older (mean age 86 years) individuals living in nursing homes. The dairy group increased their calcium intake from 700 to 1142 mg/day and protein intake from 0.8 to 1.1 g/kg daily compared to the control group. This led to a reduction of 33% in all fractures, of 46% of hip fracture and of 10% of falls [
44]. Mortality was not influenced.
A potential source of intolerance to cow milk is the presence of A1 beta-casein, in some cow breeds, particularly those of European origin, instead of A2 beta-casein, in Asian or African cattle [
45]. Both beta-casein proteins, which represent 30% of total protein of cow milk, differ by only one nucleotide changing the codon in position 67 of the 209 amino acid protein, with a histidine replacing a proline. The digestion of A1 but not of A2 beta-casein produces beta-casomorphin-7, which activates µ-opioid receptors located along the gastro-intestinal tract and may explain an increase in gastro-intestinal transit time and occasional abdominal discomfort after milk consumption. However, there is no evidence that A1 beta-casein is harmful for human health [
46].
The possible influence of dairy products particularly on cardiovascular health has been a contentious issue.. Newer evidence does not support a relationship between dairy consumption and risk of cardiovascular disease. In fact, in a large multinational cohort study of 136,384 individuals aged 35–70 years from 21 countries in 5 continents with a 9-year follow-up, dairy consumption was associated with lower risk of mortality and of major cardiovascular disease events [
47]. In a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies, the relative risk for an increase of 1 serving/day of total dairies was 0.96 (95% CI: 0.94–0.97), 0.98 (95% CI: 0.95–1.0) and 0.96 (95% CI: 0.93–0.99) for hypertension, coronary heart disease and stroke, respectively [
48]. Cheese consumption, in particular, was inversely associated with all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, incident cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease, stroke and even dementia in an umbrella review and meta-analysis including 186 observational studies [
43].
Fruits and Vegetables
Fruits and vegetables provide a variety of micronutrients, vitamins, phytochemicals with antioxidant properties, fiber, and an alkaline load. Fiber is the main source of prebiotics, which are non-digestible food components that pass undigested though the upper gastro-intestinal tract and stimulate the growth and/or activity of bacteria present in the large intestine by acting as substrate for them. Fermentation of fiber leads to the production of short chain fatty acids such as acetate, propionate, valerate, isovalerate, butyrate, and isobutyrate, which has been associated with gut health and improved mineral absorption [
49,
50].
In elderly men and women, fruit and vegetable intake is associated with greater BMD [
51,
52]. In men from the Framingham Offspring Study, femoral neck bone loss was higher in those with the lowest dietary fiber intake (first quartile) compared to the other quartiles (Q2, Q3, or Q4, with an annual BMD change of -0.15% compared to -0.009 to -0.03% (
p < 0.04) [
53]. In a dose–response observational study, less than 5 servings per day was associated with an exponential increase in hip fracture risk [
54]. However, more than 5 servings per day of fruits and vegetables did not exert further protective effects. A meta-analysis including 5 large observational studies indicated a 8% reduction in hip fracture risk with regular fruits and vegetables intake [
55]. In an umbrella review of observational studies including 330,417 subjects and 6,779 hip fractures, the relative risk of hip fractures was 0.81 (95% CI 0.68–0.96) when comparing the highest to the lowest vegetables consumption categories [
56].