Do Meat and Dairy Harm Aging Bones?

With advancing age, our bodies experience an inexorable loss of bone. Two major studies in elderly populations now underscore the importance of dietary protein in this structural erosion, which can lead to osteoporosis. The reports come to sharply different conclusions, however, about the effect of animal protein on the rate of bone loss.

In one study, diets rich in animal protein correlated with greater bone loss and fracture risk. In the other, animal protein appeared to protect bone.