Dietary Patterns and Bone Health

This chapter details the different methods used in the study of dietary patterns, covering the advantages and disadvantages of the general approach. It includes methodological considerations with regard to generating dietary patterns and gives examples of where the dietary pattern approach has been used to help further our understanding of diet and disease. Finally, it highlights examples of the application of the dietary pattern approach in more novel situations. Research into nutrition and bone health is dominated by the nutrients calcium and vitamin D, which is partly historical because of the clear effects these nutrients have in the cure and prevention of rickets. Recently, the research focus has widened to include other nutrients: magnesium, vitamin K, and protein. There has been increased interest in the nutrients associated with fruits and vegetables. The benefits on bone health have been attributed either to their acid-­balancing properties or the nutrients they contain, including minerals (calcium, magnesium, potassium, silicon, and boron), vitamins (vitamin C, vitamin K, and folate), and other potential bioactive compounds such as flavonoids and phytoestrogens. However, focusing on nutrients may not be the ideal way to study the effects of diet on disease. People do not eat separate nutrients and most of us eat a mixture of different foods which make up our diet. There are a number of reasons why the single nutrient or single food approach may be flawed.