Should you eat red meat to maintain healthy bones?

The greatest wealth in life is health, and this becomes more profound as we age. Whether bones are healthy is closely related to the quality of life in old age. Therefore, modern people pay more and more attention to bone health, and many people want to make more efforts for their bone health while they are young. However, in daily life, people may still face some misunderstandings.

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A while ago, I saw some friends discussing online whether eating red meat regularly or eating more red meat is good or bad for bone health. Some people said, "Europeans and Americans often eat beef, so their bones are stronger and they are taller." Some people said, "That's mainly because they drink a lot of milk. Eating red meat makes you fat, and it is said to be bad for calcium absorption!" So, what is the truth? Is consuming too much red meat good for bone health, or is it bad for calcium supplementation? Let's analyze it one by one today.

1. What nutrients are related to bone development?

When it comes to bone development, the first thing that comes to mind is definitely calcium. Indeed, calcium is the foundation of bones. Sufficient calcium can keep bones at a suitable strength and hardness. When calcium is deficient, the human body may suffer from osteoporosis and osteomalacia. For adolescents, pregnant women, and menopausal women, the demand for calcium is higher, so they must pay attention to reasonable supplementation.

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Secondly, vitamin D is a crucial "regulator" that affects calcium absorption and utilization. When the human body lacks vitamin D, calcium cannot be well deposited in the bones, which may cause osteomalacia in adults and rickets in infants and young children. Since the food source of vitamin D is not abundant, it is recommended that you take vitamin D supplements under the guidance of a professional nutritionist or doctor.

Third, adequate intake of high-quality protein is also an important factor in ensuring bone health. Protein is an important raw material for bone collagen. Insufficient intake of protein, especially high-quality protein, may affect bone toughness. Fortunately, there are abundant food sources of high-quality protein. As long as you make sure you eat enough eggs, milk, lean meat, fish and shrimp, you don't have to worry about protein deficiency.

Fourth, magnesium, phosphorus, vitamin K, vitamin C, etc. are closely related to bone health. The presence of magnesium can promote calcium absorption, while phosphorus can regulate calcium absorption in both directions. When the calcium-phosphorus-calcium ratio is appropriate, calcium absorption is promoted, otherwise it may cause increased calcium loss. In addition, vitamin K, which few people pay attention to, is also of great significance to bone health. It maintains the content of osteocalcin in the bones, which can affect the deposition of calcium in the bones. Vitamin C can also promote the absorption and utilization of calcium. The food sources of these nutrients are relatively abundant. We can better ensure the reasonable intake of the above nutrients through reasonable dietary matching and choosing a variety of natural foods.

2. What effects does red meat have on bone development?

As we mentioned earlier, high-quality protein is important for bone health. Red meat, as the main source of high-quality protein, should be good for bone health. But why is it said that eating too much red meat is not good for bone health?

There are two main reasons behind this.

First, bone development is inseparable from calcium. Eating foods rich in calcium and with high absorption and utilization rates is naturally beneficial to strong bones. However, the calcium content of red meat is not high. The "Chinese Food Composition Table (2018)" shows that the calcium content of lean beef is only 9 mg/100 g, which is about 1/12 of that of milk (the calcium content of milk is 104 mg/100 g). In fact, not only beef, but also livestock and poultry meat generally have low calcium content. For example, the calcium content of lean pork, lean lamb and duck meat is 6 mg/100 g, 9 mg/100 g and 6 mg/100 g respectively.

Second, moderate protein intake is good for bone health. However, when protein intake is excessive, some studies have found that it may increase the loss of bone calcium, which can be said to be too much. However, whether a high-protein diet has a negative impact on bone health has not yet been determined, and the conclusions of various studies are not yet unified. What we ordinary people need to pay attention to is to have a balanced diet and a reasonable intake of protein.

Third, generally speaking, the fat content of red meat is relatively high, especially the fat-and-lean red meat that is popular with everyone, such as marbled beef, pork belly, and sirloin. When we consume a large amount of these high-fat red meats, it will not only affect weight control, increase the risk of obesity, high blood lipids, and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, but also increase the burden on bones due to excessive weight gain, bringing the risk of fractures. At the same time, a large amount of fat in the diet will also affect the absorption and utilization of calcium.

From this we can see that relying on eating more red meat to promote bone development is not very reliable!

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3. How to eat to strengthen bones?

As mentioned above, to maintain strong bones, the human body needs to take in a variety of nutrients including calcium, vitamin D, and protein in a reasonable and balanced manner, rather than just one single nutrient. It can be said that bone health is a long-term, systematic project that requires comprehensive planning, early layout,

In terms of nutrition, first of all, we should focus on taking in dairy products that are rich in calcium and have a high absorption rate. Whether it is milk, yogurt, cheese, milk skin, milk tofu, etc., they are all excellent choices. If you really don’t like to eat dairy products, you can also choose soy products with high calcium content, such as tofu (excluding lactone tofu), bean skin, dried tofu (pay attention to choosing those with low salt content), bean curd, etc., as well as calcium-rich aquatic products such as fish, shrimp, and shellfish. The calcium content of some green leafy vegetables is also considerable, such as kale, rapeseed, Chinese cabbage, sweet potato leaves, amaranth, shepherd’s purse, etc. In addition, green leafy vegetables also contain vitamin K, which is closely related to bone calcification. Although oxalic acid and phytic acid in vegetables will affect the absorption and utilization of calcium, most of the oxalic acid and phytic acid can be removed after a short period of blanching. For people who eat less milk and soy products, it is also a good way to supplement calcium.

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Secondly, we should pay attention to the reasonable supplement of high-quality protein . According to the Chinese Residents' Dietary Guidelines, eating one egg, one cup of milk, 2 taels of livestock meat, 2 taels of aquatic products, 25 grams of soybean products, and protein from other foods every day can meet the needs of the human body.

Furthermore, attention should be paid to the supplementation of vitamin D. Sufficient sunlight can help the human body synthesize some vitamin D, but considering that modern people pay attention to sun protection and mainly work indoors, sunlight is usually insufficient. A better way is to take vitamin D supplements reasonably. Finally, appropriate intake of fresh fruits, vitamin C and organic acids can also promote bone calcium absorption. As for nutrients such as vitamin K, magnesium, and phosphorus, you only need to pay attention to dietary diversification, try to eat light, less oily, less salty, natural and less processed foods, and match them reasonably to basically ensure adequate intake.

Of course, it is not enough to just talk about nutrition. For bone health, proper exercise is essential. It should be noted that we should choose appropriate exercise according to our weight and physical condition. For people with a large base weight, it is recommended to give priority to medium and low intensity aerobic exercise, such as yoga, cycling, brisk walking, etc. If you are of normal weight, you can choose the exercise you like, step by step, and exercise persistently at a suitable intensity.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Bone health requires our multi-faceted and long-term efforts. Therefore, it is particularly important to choose a healthy, painless and sustainable way. You may as well start from today to make adjustments in diet, exercise and other aspects to lay a good foundation for a strong bone.

Author: Wang Lu, Chinese registered dietitian, Master of Public Health, Peking University

Reviewer: Xue Qingxin, the first batch of nutrition instructors of the National Health Commission, China registered nutritionist