The Study
Associations of dietary protein intake with bone mineral density: An observational study in 70,215 UK Biobank participants.
This study looked at whether people who eat more protein have stronger bones, and found a tiny link — but it didn’t make people change their diets to test it. So we can’t say eating more protein makes bones stronger, just that the two tend to go together.
Analysis score
Maximum 44 for a cross-sectional study.
Where the score came from
Scientists looked at whether people who eat more protein have stronger bones, using data from over 70,000 adults.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 544 / 100
Quality score
Snapshots of a population at a single point in time, or descriptions of small groups. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine cause and effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1The change is small but statistically significant, meaning it’s unlikely due to chance and may matter over time.
- 2For every extra gram of protein per kilogram of body weight eaten daily, bones were slightly stronger: women’s BMD went up by 0.010, men’s by 0.008.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Bone
Year
2019
Authors
Lewis Steell, A. Sillars, P. Welsh, S. Iliodromiti, S. C. Wong, J. Pell, N. Sattar, J. Gill, C. Celis-Morales, S. Gray
Related Content
Claims (2)
People who consume more dietary protein, including from animal sources, have higher bone mineral density.
Middle-aged adults who consume an additional 1.0 gram of protein per kilogram of body weight per day have slightly higher bone mineral density measured by ultrasound, compared to those who consume less, after accounting for lifestyle and demographic factors.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.