THE NEW YORK TIMES – Here are some nutrients to prioritize to keep your bones healthy as you age.
Calcium
When you don’t get enough calcium from food, your body will pull the mineral from your bones, which can make them weaker, said Sue Shapses, a professor of nutritional sciences at Rutgers University. Your ability to absorb calcium from food declines as you age too, she said.
Dairy products like milk and yogurt are excellent sources of calcium, said Connie Weaver, a research professor at San Diego State University who studies how diet influences bone health. One cup of low-fat Greek yogurt, for example, contains about a quarter of the calcium most people need in a day, she said.
Other calcium-rich foods include beans; tofu; calcium-fortified plant milks; small bone-in fish like sardines; and leafy green vegetables like kale and collard greens.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D, which is crucial for maintaining strong bones because it helps your body absorb calcium from food, is synthesized in the skin after it is exposed to the sun’s ultraviolet B rays. But the skin’s ability to do this synthesizing declines with age, Dr. Dawson-Hughes said.
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Certain vitamin D-rich foods can help make up for that loss. These include rainbow trout, salmon, canned tuna, mushrooms, egg yolks and milk, in addition to foods and drinks that are fortified with the vitamin, like some orange juices, plant milks and cereals.
Protein
Several studies in older adults have linked higher protein consumption with stronger bones. Protein makes up about half of bone volume and is essential for replacing bone when it is lost.
But since protein plays two roles in the body — helping to absorb calcium in the gut and to excrete it in urine — you need to maintain sufficient levels of both protein and calcium for good bone health, said Shivani Sahni, an associate professor at Harvard Medical School …
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