[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/bone-nutrition\/is-the-mediterranean-diet-good-for-bones\/#Article","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/bone-nutrition\/is-the-mediterranean-diet-good-for-bones\/","headline":"Is the Mediterranean diet good for bones?","name":"Is the Mediterranean diet good for bones?","description":"Print PDF eBook Facebook Twitter Gmail LinkedIn Pinterest There is an amazing amount of research on the Mediterranean diet and its benefits for health, so naturally I get some questions about whether it\u2019s good for bone health, too. A brand new meta-analysis suggests that we can emphatically say it\u2019s molto buoni [very good] for bones […]","datePublished":"2018-04-19","dateModified":"2026-04-28","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/author\/brownbetterbonesgmail-com\/#Person","name":"Dr. Susan E. Brown, PhD","url":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/author\/brownbetterbonesgmail-com\/","identifier":72,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8e08d87bd45250c6616e1752933a6576aba077f335d97ee337a0cde5e435cbd3?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8e08d87bd45250c6616e1752933a6576aba077f335d97ee337a0cde5e435cbd3?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Center for Better Bones","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Better-Bones-AMP.png","url":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Better-Bones-AMP.png","width":150,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Mediterranean-diet-BB-blog-feature-image-FB-twitter-social-image.jpg","url":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/Mediterranean-diet-BB-blog-feature-image-FB-twitter-social-image.jpg","height":1109,"width":2120},"url":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/bone-nutrition\/is-the-mediterranean-diet-good-for-bones\/","about":["Bone Nutrition"],"wordCount":533,"keywords":["Mediterranean diet"],"articleBody":" Print PDF eBook\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFacebook\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTwitter\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGmail\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tLinkedIn\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPinterest\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThere is an amazing amount of research on the Mediterranean diet and its benefits for health, so naturally I get some questions about whether it\u2019s good for bone health, too.A brand new meta-analysis suggests that we can emphatically say it\u2019s molto buoni [very good] for bones as well as the rest of the body (Benetou et al., 2018). The study looked at the relationship between adherence to a Mediterranean diet and hip fracture in over 140,000 US and European adults over age 60 (82% of whom were women). It found that those who have moderate to high adherence to a Mediterranean diet had a significant decrease in hip fracture risk compared to those with low adherence.Mediterranean diet = Alkaline for Life\u00ae DietThis finding is no surprise, because the Mediterranean diet is based on very similar principles as the Alkaline Diet \u2014 a focus on alkalizing plant foods and healthy fats, with limits on meat intake and simple carbohydrates. In many ways, the Mediterranean diet is simply one interpretation of Alkaline eating based on foods and meal patterns common to a certain part of the world.A look at the extensive literature on Mediterranean diet and health highlights just a few important features:\u2022 As a largely plant-based diet, it\u2019s not only an alkaline option, it also offers health-supporting polyphenols that many studies agree are valuable in fighting cancer, inflammation, and oxidative stress \u2014 all factors that contribute to poor bone health (Estruch et al. 2013; Medina-Remon et al. 2017; Terra et al. 2009; Anderson & Nieman 2016; Martinez-Gonzalez et al. 2015).\u2022 It contributes to maintenance of healthy weight and \u2014 important for bone health \u2014 muscle mass. One recent meta-analysis found that older adults who closely follow a Mediterranean diet had a lower risk of becoming frail and were better able to maintain muscle strength, activity, weight and energy levels (Kojima et al., 2018).\u2022 A key component of the Mediterranean diet, olive oil, is associated with increased serum osteocalcin and P1NP concentrations, suggesting a protective effect on bone (Fernandez-Real et al., 2012) \u2014 and recent studies found higher consumption of olive oil corresponds to higher bone density (Savanelli et al., 2017).More benefits to Mediterranean-style eatingIt\u2019s pretty clear that the this diet is beneficial to bones. So what other health benefits does it offer? Here are just a few:\u2022 The Mediterranean Diet is specifically associated with improvements in blood pressure, insulin sensitivity, lipid profiles, inflammation, oxidative stress, and atherosclerosis (Martinez-Gonzalez et al. 2015).\u2022 Researchers have found repeatedly that those eating a Mediterranean diet experienced about a 30\u201360% reduction in cardiovascular risk (Estruch et al. 2013; Bonaccio et al., 2017; Carlos et al. 2018).\u2022 Individuals following the Mediterranean diet experienced half as much age-related brain shrinkage as those who did not (Luciano et al. 2017).\u2022 A recent study of over 22,000 Spanish men and women noted benefits in terms of type 2 diabetes, weight gain, metabolic syndrome, depression, cognitive decline, and nephrolithiasis (Carlos et al., 2018).So if you\u2019ve been wondering if infusing your alkaline diet with more Mediterranean flavor and flair would help you support your bone health, wonder no more \u2014 it will do that and more!Learn about all the key nutrients in our comprehensive resource on essential nutrients for strong bones."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Bone Nutrition","item":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/bone-nutrition\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Is the Mediterranean diet good for bones?","item":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/bone-nutrition\/is-the-mediterranean-diet-good-for-bones\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]