Bone and joint health
We end our round up with a look at the research highlights of 2011 in the bone and joint health category, starting with a study published in Nutrition Journal in April suggesting that a plant-derived calcium supplement also containing strontium, magnesium and other minerals, may increase bone density by 2% per year.
In August, research published in Environmental Health Perspectives suggested most American children are not getting sufficient vitamin D from sun exposure, even in summer months.
This was followed a month later by research from the University of Minnesota suggesting that intakes of vitamin D from food have been in decline in the US population for the past 25 years.
In October, we learned from a joint US-Iranian study published in Nutrition & Metabolism that combining exercise with omega-3 supplements may boost the bone mineral density in older women and reduce markers of inflammation.
A study from Canada published the same month in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition revealed that children and adolescents suffering from celiac disease may be at risk of weak bones, and supplements of vitamins D and K may help.
Finally, an article published in Nutrition Reviews suggested that nutritional benefits for bone health expand well beyond vitamin D and calcium.