{"id":2875,"date":"2025-08-16T16:34:14","date_gmt":"2025-08-16T16:34:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/2875\/"},"modified":"2025-08-16T16:34:14","modified_gmt":"2025-08-16T16:34:14","slug":"5-nutrients-besides-calcium-to-eat-for-better-bone-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/2875\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Nutrients Besides Calcium to Eat for Better Bone Health"},"content":{"rendered":"

Make no bones about it: The health and well-being of your skeleton really takes center stage during menopause. \u201cEstrogen plays a vital role in preserving bone density, and without it, bones become more porous and fragile,\u201d says Corinne Menn, DO<\/a>, an ob-gyn and the director of clinical innovation and education at Alloy. \u201cApproximately 300,000 people<\/a> in the U.S. are hospitalized each year for hip fractures, and about three-quarters of them are women,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n

Research suggests that in the years surrounding menopause, women can lose a staggering 20 percent<\/a> of their bone density. It\u2019s sadly no surprise, then, that fracture risk and cases of osteoporosis and osteopenia skyrocket<\/a> during this phase of life.<\/p>\n

Thankfully, there are plenty of ways to prevent such drastic losses, says Menn, from strength-training workouts to vibrating belts<\/a> that slow bone loss. And don\u2019t underestimate the power of nutrition. While we all heard in childhood that drinking calcium-rich milk makes for strong bones, that mineral isn\u2019t the only thing worth prioritizing. Here are five other nutrients to load up on.<\/p>\n

1. Vitamin D<\/p>\n

Why it matters: Vitamin D is to calcium what Krypto the Superdog is to Superman: essential to getting the job done (but in this case, the job is fighting bone loss rather than supervillains). \u201cVitamin D helps the body efficiently absorb calcium<\/a> from the diet,\u201d says Dani Dominguez<\/a>, RDN, a registered dietitian, holistic pet nutritionist, and founder of SunBright Wellness<\/a>. Without enough D, your body can\u2019t take on as much calcium, which weakens your bones, she says. (It\u2019s important for proper muscle and immune function<\/a>, too; low levels of the nutrient are also linked with depression<\/a>.) <\/p>\n

How to get it: All adults need to eat 15 to 20 micrograms<\/a> (or 600 to 800 IU) of vitamin D every day. \u201cOnly a few foods naturally contain vitamin D\u2014including fatty fish like trout and salmon, eggs, and UV-exposed mushrooms,\u201d says Sapna Peruvemba, RDN, a registered dietitian and founder of Health by Sapna<\/a>. (You can also get it from fortified dairy and nondairy milks.) If those options don\u2019t exactly whet your appetite, opt for a quality supplement to ensure you get what you need. Look for brands that have a seal from the National Science Foundation (NSF)<\/a> or ConsumerLab<\/a> on their packaging\u2014third-party testing agencies that confirm products contain the ingredients listed and meet limits for certain contaminants.<\/p>\n

2. Vitamin K<\/p>\n

Why it matters: Vitamin K\u2014particularly in the form of K2<\/a>\u2014\u201chelps bind calcium to the bone<\/a>, and without enough K2, calcium may end up in places you don\u2019t want it, like your arteries,\u201d shares Menn. <\/p>\n

How to get it: The National Institutes of Health recommends<\/a> at least 90 micrograms per day for adult women\u2014inclusive of both K1 and K2. \u201cK2 is found mostly in animal products, like dairy and meat, and fermented foods,\u201d says Peruvemba. (She adds that natto\u2014made from fermented soybeans\u2014offers up to 708 percent of your recommended daily value<\/a> in a three-ounce serving. Not too shabby!) Vitamin K1, often found in plant-based sources like leafy greens and cruciferous veggies, also promotes bone health. Even small portions of these plant-based options (think: a cup of raw spinach<\/a> as a salad base or two plantains<\/a>) can help you meet your daily needs. <\/p>\n

3. Magnesium<\/p>\n

Why it matters: Magnesium\u2014it\u2019s not just for sleep! \u201cMagnesium influences the activity of bone-building cells and helps regulate calcium transport,\u201d shares Dominguez. Research also shows that magnesium supplementation is associated with better bone density and reduced risk of fractures<\/a> in older adults. <\/p>\n

How to get it: \u201cMany women fall short of the 320 milligrams<\/a> recommended per day, so adding magnesium-rich foods like nuts, seeds, legumes, and leafy greens to meals can be helpful,\u201d Menn says. Snacking on half a cup of roasted pumpkin seeds<\/a> will knock out your requirement for the day. Otherwise, a magnesium glycinate<\/a> or magnesium-L-threonate<\/a> supplement (as both are well absorbed) can help you reach that goal.<\/p>\n

4. Phosphorus<\/p>\n

Why it matters: Phosphorus is abundant in dairy products, and it\u2019s part of the reason milk, cheese, yogurt, and the like are so essential to bone health. \u201cAbout 85 percent<\/a> of phosphorus is stored in the bones as well as the teeth and helps repair and renew the bone tissue in the body,\u201d says Dominguez. <\/p>\n

How to get it: Adult women should aim for 700 milligrams of the mineral<\/a> per day. Sounds like a tall order, but you can find it in a lot of stuff you\u2019re hopefully already eating: beans, peas, meat, poultry, seafood, nuts, seeds, whole grains, and dairy foods. Most people get enough from food, so no need to supplement this nutrient (and too much of it can have a negative impact on your bones<\/a>).<\/p>\n

5. Protein<\/p>\n

Why it matters: \u201cProtein\u2019s not just for muscles. It also supports the collagen structure within bones<\/a>,\u201d Menn says. Plus, protein encourages better calcium absorption<\/a>. <\/p>\n

How to get it: Given that protein<\/a> is once again the It nutrient, you\u2019re probably well aware of ways to eat it (maybe you\u2019re eating or drinking some right now!). But how much you should consume depends on your weight, age, activity level, and other factors. \u201cWhile the recommended dietary allowance [RDA] for protein is 0.8 grams per kilogram per day of body weight, many experts recommend 1.0 g\/kg for peri- and postmenopausal women<\/a>\u2014and up to 1.2 to 1.6 g\/kg for active or strength-training women,\u201d Peruvemba says. This could equate to anywhere between 50 and upwards of 100 grams of protein per day from legumes, nuts, seeds, fish, dairy, lean meats, eggs, and whole grains. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Make no bones about it: The health and well-being of your skeleton really takes center stage during menopause.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2876,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[277],"tags":[1273,3364,343,18,346,135,19,17,590,508,3363],"class_list":{"0":"post-2875","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nutrition","8":"tag-content-type-how-to-service","9":"tag-contentid-25d01b5f-86fd-4e0b-9041-8b406aaa15ca","10":"tag-displaytype-standard-article","11":"tag-eire","12":"tag-hasproduct-true","13":"tag-health","14":"tag-ie","15":"tag-ireland","16":"tag-locale-us","17":"tag-nutrition","18":"tag-shorttitle-5-nutrients-for-bone-health-that-arent-calcium"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2875","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2875"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2875\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2876"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2875"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2875"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2875"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}