Adolescent Nutrition in the Prevention of Postmenopausal Osteoporosis

The adolescent years are a window of opportunity to influence lifelong bone health. Approximately 40% of peak bone mass in girls is accumulated in this short stage of the life cycle (1). Bone acquisition is accelerated within the genetic potential by lifestyle choices, including diet, eating behavior, exercise, and smoking. The focus of this review is on the role of diet and individual nutrients in building a healthy skeleton in females. The major raw materials of bone are minerals and bone matrix nutrients. The macrominerals include calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium. The skeleton serves a structural function and also as a reservoir for calcium to maintain serum levels within normal range during periods of inadequacy. Bone matrix nutrients include the energy nutrients and a variety of nutritional cofactors. It is commonly accepted that development of a higher peak bone mass during adolescent years protects against postmenopausal osteoporosis. There is a strong inverse relationship between bone mineral density and incidence of fracture in postmenopausal women (2, 3). This was demonstrated in a study of two communities in Yugoslavia with different levels of dairy food consumption (4). In this cross-sectional study, adults from the high dairy food-consuming community had higher initial bone density and fewer fractures despite a rate of bone loss similar to that in the low dairy food-consuming community. Bone loss in a postmenopausal woman with low peak bone density will have greater consequences for fracture than that in a woman with higher peak bone mineral density.