This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: 90/1/26    most recent Author Manuscript (PDF) Submit a related Letter to the Editor Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Request Copyright Permission Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Kerstetter, J. E. Articles by Insogna, K. L. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Kerstetter, J. E. Articles by Insogna, K. L. Pubmed/NCBI databases Compound via MeSH Substance via MeSH Hazardous Substances DB CALCIUM COMPOUNDS CALCIUM, ELEMENTAL Medline Plus Health Information Dietary Proteins Related Collections Calcium and Bone Metabolism

The Impact of Dietary Protein on Calcium Absorption and Kinetic Measures of Bone Turnover in Women

School of Allied Health (J.E.K.), University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut 06269-2101; Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Center for Human Nutrition (K.O.O.), Baltimore, Maryland 21205-2179; Adult Clinical Research Center and Food and Nutritional Services (D.M.C., D.E.W.), Yale New Haven Hospital, New Haven, Connecticut 06510-3202; and Yale University School of Internal Medicine (K.L.I.), New Haven, Connecticut 06520-8020

Address all correspondence and requests for reprints to: Jane E. Kerstetter, School of Allied Health, Box U-2101, 358 Mansfield Road, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut 06269-2101. E-mail: Jane.Kerstetter{at}uconn.edu.

Although high-protein diets induce hypercalciuria in humans, the source of the additional urinary calcium remains unclear. One hypothesis is that the high endogenous acid load of a high-protein diet is partially buffered by bone, leading to increased skeletal resorption and hypercalciuria. We used dual stable calcium isotopes to quantify the effect of a high-protein diet on calcium kinetics in women. The study consisted of 2 wk of a lead-in, well-balanced diet followed by 10 d of an experimental diet containing either moderate (1.0 g/kg) or high (2.1 g/kg) protein. Thirteen healthy women received both levels of protein in random order. Intestinal calcium absorption increased during the high-protein diet in comparison with the moderate (26.2 ± 1.9% vs. 18.5 ± 1.6%, P < 0.0001, mean ± SEM) as did urinary calcium (5.23 ± 0.37 vs. 3.57 ± 0.35 mmol/d, P < 0.0001, mean ± SEM). The high-protein diet caused a significant reduction in the fraction of urinary calcium of bone origin and a nonsignificant trend toward a reduction in the rate of bone turnover. There were no protein-induced effects on net bone balance. These data directly demonstrate that, at least in the short term, high-protein diets are not detrimental to bone.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				T. R Fenton, M. Eliasziw, A. W Lyon, S. C Tough, and D. A Hanley Meta-analysis of the quantity of calcium excretion associated with the net acid excretion of the modern diet under the acid-ash diet hypothesis Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, October 1, 2008; 88(4): 1159 - 1166. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. J de Souza, J. F Swain, L. J Appel, and F. M Sacks Alternatives for macronutrient intake and chronic disease: a comparison of the OmniHeart diets with popular diets and with dietary recommendations Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, July 1, 2008; 88(1): 1 - 11. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. P. Thorpe, E. H. Jacobson, D. K. Layman, X. He, P. M. Kris-Etherton, and E. M. Evans A Diet High in Protein, Dairy, and Calcium Attenuates Bone Loss over Twelve Months of Weight Loss and Maintenance Relative to a Conventional High-Carbohydrate Diet in Adults J. Nutr., June 1, 2008; 138(6): 1096 - 1100. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. Mardon, V. Habauzit, A. Trzeciakiewicz, M.-J. Davicco, P. Lebecque, S. Mercier, J.-C. Tressol, M.-N. Horcajada, C. Demigne, and V. Coxam Long-Term Intake of a High-Protein Diet with or without Potassium Citrate Modulates Acid-Base Metabolism, but Not Bone Status, in Male Rats J. Nutr., April 1, 2008; 138(4): 718 - 724. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. Thorpe, M. C. Mojtahedi, K. Chapman-Novakofski, E. McAuley, and E. M. Evans A Positive Association of Lumbar Spine Bone Mineral Density with Dietary Protein Is Suppressed by a Negative Association with Protein Sulfur J. Nutr., January 1, 2008; 138(1): 80 - 85. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				H. Vatanparast, D. A. Bailey, A. D. G. Baxter-Jones, and S. J. Whiting The Effects of Dietary Protein on Bone Mineral Mass in Young Adults May Be Modulated by Adolescent Calcium Intake J. Nutr., December 1, 2007; 137(12): 2674 - 2679. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. Jehle, A. Zanetti, J. Muser, H. N. Hulter, and R. Krapf Partial Neutralization of the Acidogenic Western Diet with Potassium Citrate Increases Bone Mass in Postmenopausal Women with Osteopenia J. Am. Soc. Nephrol., November 1, 2006; 17(11): 3213 - 3222. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J S Volek, C E Forsythe, and W J Kraemer Nutritional aspects of women strength athletes Br. J. Sports Med., September 1, 2006; 40(9): 742 - 748. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. E. Kerstetter, D. E. Wall, K. O. O'Brien, D. M. Caseria, and K. L. Insogna Meat and Soy Protein Affect Calcium Homeostasis in Healthy Women J. Nutr., July 1, 2006; 136(7): 1890 - 1895. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. Jajoo, L. Song, H. Rasmussen, S. S. Harris, and B. Dawson-Hughes Dietary Acid-Base Balance, Bone Resorption, and Calcium Excretion J. Am. Coll. Nutr., June 1, 2006; 25(3): 224 - 230. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. L. Rosado, M. Diaz, A. Rosas, I. Griffit, and O. P. Garcia Calcium Absorption from Corn Tortilla Is Relatively High and Is Dependent upon Calcium Content and Liming in Mexican Women J. Nutr., November 1, 2005; 135(11): 2578 - 2581. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. R. Zwart, J. E. Davis-Street, D. Paddon-Jones, A. A. Ferrando, R. R. Wolfe, and S. M. Smith Amino acid supplementation alters bone metabolism during simulated weightlessness J Appl Physiol, July 1, 2005; 99(1): 134 - 140. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. Devine, I. M Dick, A. F. Islam, S. S Dhaliwal, and R. L Prince Protein consumption is an important predictor of lower limb bone mass in elderly women Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, June 1, 2005; 81(6): 1423 - 1428. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]