What does low carb do to your bones?
What does low carb do to your bones? There is a lingering idea that eating low carb could result in osteoporosis, due to making blood acidic and leeching minerals from the bones.
However, this theory has a few problems. For example, under normal circumstances the pH of the blood does not change depending on what diet you eat. The blood pH is tightly controlled within a very narrow span – or we’d die.
Testing the theory
More importantly, this idea has been tested several times.
In four separate studies, groups of people consumed either a strict low-carb diet (around 20-30 grams of net carbs a day) or a high-carb diet and were followed for up to two years. At the end of each study, results from both groups were compared.
Whether tracking markers of bone loss, or checking the bones with radiological methods (DEXA scans), the results were the same every time. Guess what?
Zero difference between the groups. Nothing happened to bone strength.
- Frontiers in Endocrinology: Long-term effects of a novel continuous remote care intervention including nutritional ketosis for the management of type 2 diabetes: A 2-year non-randomized clinical trial
- Nutrition Journal: Long-term effects of a very low carbohydrate weight loss diet and an isocaloric low-fat diet on bone health in obese adults
- Annals of Internal Medicine: Weight and metabolic outcomes after 2 years on a low-carbohydrate versus low-fat diet
- The Journal of Pediatrics: Efficacy and safety of a high protein, low carbohydrate diet for weight loss in severely obese adolescents
Time to let go of the myths
It’s high time to let go of the old acid-alkaline myth. Clearly bone strength is unaffected on a strict low-carb diet. The bones do fine.
Another idea is that high protein diets could negatively impact bones. This is probably not just wrong but the opposite of the truth. Bones are partly built by protein, and a recent study showed that women’s bones seem to get weaker on a low-protein diet.
Bones – like the rest of the body – need a sufficient amount of protein to stay strong. But carbs are not required.
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What could happen if you took the low-carb challenge?
1-how much protein?
2- how to prevent ketones from shooting up to starvation level and making me loose appetite? It's been 6 weeks and i get this but no fat mibilisation (24% fat but looking normal - never been obese) and can't seem to recover appetite.
I have started using apple cider vinegar and have been using tumeric for so e time.
I am hoping with weight loss the pain eases.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
5'8" 155 lbs. 61 year old female.
Last month I fell in a rainstorm and fractured my shoulder. I'm hoping to heal without surgery. I've always been sensitive to the mineral shifts with Keto and am supplementing Magnesium, Potassium, Sodium and Zinc. I have to heal this fractured shoulder. I don't have insurance and couldn't afford surgery. Is Keto safe for me? I've just read about increasing protein, which I will do.
Thanks for your time.
and the studies themselves?
have a close look at the middle one with the 2 year time frame.
The low carb diet comprised 20g/day of carbs for 3 mths, then increased carbs by 5g every week....until desired weight was achieved. The subjects had mean BMI over 35 and were not athletic. The attrition rate was high.
This introduces a stack of problems
1. obese people tend to have higher bone density because their bones are subjected to supporting heavier mass. These findings cannot be extrapolated to a slim or low fat person sustaining a low carb diet.
2. The low carb diet was not specifically high fat or high protein. High protein diets have been shown to increase urinary loss of calcium and cause bone mineral depletion. This effect may have been offset by the heavier subjects used.
3. The low carb diet was not low carb. It had a 3 mth period of 20g CHO/day, then increased CHO by 5g each week after (until a desired wt was reached). Whatever the desired weight was, who knows....but the median wt loss was 11kg over the first year. Nevertheless, at the end of the first year, these "low carb" dieters would have been eating 20g + 39weeks*5g = 215g CHO!
Now hands up all the low carb advocates who think that constitutes a low carb diet.
I would suggest staying out of ketosis. Im 27 years old never broken a bone until I went onto the Keto diet. A simple slip on the floor and I broke both my tib and fib. Now Im suffering from low bone density
You can read a little more at this link. In general, we have not reviewed anything that leads us to believe this guide needs to be updated.
https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/controversies#osteoporosis
Here is a more recent article you may find helpful.
https://www.dietdoctor.com/dietary-protein-builds-strong-bones-accord...
I think I will just stick to my endocrinologist advise of 1300 mg /day of dietary calcium. (Australia) For me this would include a glass of calcium fortified milk, greek yoghurt and goat cheese, plus almonds and green leafy veg.