Don't forget dairy or protein in your diet plan
Even if you are trying to lose weight, make sure you get your RDA of protein, ideally dairy sources of protein, to protect your bones. A new study followed three groups of overweight women to analyse their diet and assess their bone health.
Poor bone health can lead to a raft of health issues, especially as you age. Women who ate higher-protein and high-dairy diets for this study showed the biggest improvement in markers of bone formation, no change in bone loss, an increase in circulating vitamin D levels, and a decrease in levels of parathyroid hormone, which when elevated is typically associated with bone loss.
The research was published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.
"Our data provide further rationale to recommend consumption of dairy foods to aid in 'high quality' weight loss, which we defined as loss of fat and sparing of muscle, and the promotion of bone health in young women," said Stuart Phillips, senior author and a professor in the Department of Kinesiology.
"These women are not only at the age when achieving and maintaining peak bone mass is of great importance, but in whom adequate dairy consumption would offset sub-optimal intakes of calcium and vitamin D."
