Nutrition and Osteoporosis

Nutrition and Osteoporosis: Seeing Through a Glass, Darkly (1 Cor. 13:12) This volume of Advances in Nutritional Research deals with the present state of knowledge relative to the role of nutrition in the etiology of osteoporosis, one of the most serious degenerative diseases in the aging population. As a back­ drop for subsequent chapters on specific nutrients, Chapter 1 provides a com­ prehensive account of the gain and loss of bone throughout the life cycle, with emphasis on the architectural changes in later life that predispose to osteoporotic bone fractures. Chapter 2 documents the occurrence of aging bone loss through­ out human archeological history and Chapter 3 extends this documentation to all non-human vertebrate species so far examined, including primates living in the wild. It is apparent that a progressive loss of bone tissue is a normal accompaniment of aging among higher vertebrates. Whether it is a cause of bone fractures in animals, as it is in humans, is still unknown. It has also been established that there are significant differences in the frequency of osteoporotic fractures among human families, ethnic groups, national populations and diet cultures. Numerous studies have been carried out in an effort to explain these differences, and many of these deal with the possible effect of nutrition. Protracted controversies over the role of nutrition in the etiology of osteoporosis are reflected in the contents of several of the ensuing chapters.

1. The Gain and Loss of Bone in the Human Life Cycle.- 2. Low Bone Mass in Past and Present Aboriginal Populations.- 3. Bone Loss in Animals.- 4. The Significance of Habitual Calcium Intake in the Pathogenesis of Peri- and Early Postmenopausal Bone Loss.- 5. Osteoporosis in Japan: Factors Contributing to the Low Incidence of Hip Fracture.- 6. Osteoporosis in Asia.- 7. Calcium and Osteoporosis?.- 8. Ethnic and Genetic Differences in Susceptibility to Osteoporotic Fractures.- 9. Suboptimal Vitamin D Status: A Risk Factor for Osteoporosis?.- 10. Protein Intake and Calcium Homeostasis.- 11. The Effects of High Phosphorus Intake on Calcium Homeostasis.- 12. The Effect of Sodium on Calcium Requirement.- 13. Fluoride in the Prevention and Treatment of Osteoporosis.- 14. Bone Mineral Content in Postmenopausal Vegetarians and Omnivores.- 15. The Effect of Obesity on Postmenopausal Bone Loss and the Risk of Osteoporosis.- 16. Exercise and Bone Loss.- 17. The Menstrual Cycle: Effects on Bone in Menopausal Women.