What to eat after breaking bones?

After fracturing or breaking bones certain foods will help while others might even make the recovery process more difficult.

Osteoporosis is one of the leading causes of invalidity in older people; 80% of bone fractures in the elderly are caused by osteoporosis.

Bones are always strengthening and replenishing themselves, but with age this process is slowed down, faster in some than in others. This leads to the gradual decline of bone density, the amount of certain minerals (mostly phosphorus and calcium) in the bones, which makes them vulnerable to physical stress. When bone density reaches a certain low point you can get the diagnosis for osteopenia, which can lead to osteoporosis.

Adjusting your diet and focusing on certain types of food can significantly help with maintaining bone health and recovery after injury.

• Protein: the body uses protein to repair itself after injury and heal wounded tissue or broken bones. Good sources of protein include meat, fish, eggs, dairy products, seeds and legumes. For more information about the way protein functions in diet read here (link).
• Calcium: calcium is key in forming and strengthening bones, good sources of calcium are dairy products like milk, cheeses and yogurts.
• Vitamin D: vitamin D is one of the rarest vitamins in the diet, and people most often have vitamin D deficiency. This vitamin helps the body absorb calcium and the process of mineralization run smoothly. Exposing the body to sunlight is a well-known way to generate vitamin D with the body, but it’s much more effective to consume it through foods such as oily fish (mackerel, sardines, salmon), mushrooms and egg yolks.
• Vitamin C: this vitamin is key for the synthesis of collagen, one of the most important building blocks of tissue, muscles, ligaments and bones. Vitamin C is contained in citrus fruits, tomatoes, peppers, strawberries, broccoli, potatoes…
• Iron: food rich with iron also helps the synthesis of collagen and the transportation of oxygen to the bones, good sources are red meat, chicken, oily fish, legumes and eggs.

Other important nutrients that can help in repairing and strengthening the bones are kalium, zinc and vitamin K.

Groceries that can negatively affect and slow down the recovery process make the absorption of calcium, vitamins and other nutrients in the body more difficult.

• Alcohol: alcohol slows down the recovery process and can increase the risk of injury because of its intoxicating effects and the loss of balance.
• Salt: large amounts of salt in the diet can make the metabolism of calcium more difficult, it is generally recommended to decrease the amount of salt consumed when recovering from fractured or broken bones.
• Caffeine: large amounts of caffeine can slow the healing of bones and lead to more often urinating and discharging calcium through urine. Moderate amounts of caffeine shouldn’t be a problem (not more than 4 cups a day). One should pay attention to other caffeinated drinks such as tea, sodas and energy drinks.

Other than this, avoiding fast food and sugar is recommended, they might lead to difficulties in nutrient absorption and inflammation, and thus slow down the recovery process.

*This text is intended for informational purposes only. If you experience any symptoms, it is recommended that you seek advice from your doctor or a qualified healthcare professional.*

*Image taken from: https://pixabay.com/photos/cheese-tray-cheeses-french-cheese-1433504/*

Hospitals, C. (2024, September 23). Diet for bone fracture: Foods to eat and avoid. CARE Hospitals. https://www.carehospitals.com/blog-detail/diet-for-bone-fracture/

Karpouzos, A., Diamantis, E., Farmaki, P., Savvanis, S., & Troupis, T. (2017). Nutritional aspects of bone health and fracture healing. Journal of Osteoporosis, 2017, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1155/2017/4218472

Zhang, J., Liang, D., & Zhao, A. (2020). Dietary Diversity and the risk of fracture in Adults: a prospective study. Nutrients, 12(12), 3655. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12123655