Bad diet may put bones at risk of osteoporosis

Call for a national strategy to educate the public about vitamin D deficiency and halt the rise in bone breakages, following 10-year study by MPs

A national campaign to improve British bone health should be set up as soon as possible, a group of MPs will urge. A report by the all-party parliamentary osteoporosis group (Appog) will warn that the spread of unhealthy diets and a general decline in drinking milk, consuming other dairy products and eating fresh fish has left an increasing number of people suffering from vitamin D deficiency.

Without sufficient vitamin D – which is also produced in the skin by exposure to sunlight – bone growth is affected and conditions such as osteoporosis, in which bones become increasingly porous, become common. This can result in more bone breakages and fractures. According to Appog, the number of British men admitted to hospital for a hip fracture rose by 77% between 1998-99 and 2008-09.

The parliamentary group, which is made up of peers and MPs, has been studying the issue for 10 years and will publish a list of recommendations on Wednesday aimed at improving bone health in the population.

The group's proposals include a recommendation that more research be carried out to determine the optimum dose of vitamin D that is required by the public. In addition, the report urges that:

■ A wider choice of dietary supplements and fortified and non-fortified products should be made available.

■ Malnutrition in older people in hospital must be tackled.

■ The food supplement industry should have greater freedom to create vitamin D products which can be targeted at different demographic groups.

■ There should be opportunities for young people to learn about bone health in the classroom.

"By adopting a healthy lifestyle, the risk of breaking a bone as a result of osteoporosis in later life is likely to be reduced," the report states. "As such, it would appear beneficial to promote healthy diet and safe sunlight exposure as part of a strategy to prevent osteo- porosis and fractures."

source: guardian