Avoiding meat and salty foods outright may do more harm than good to bone health, a Korean medicine practitioner says.
Park Mi-kyung, director of Gwangji Clinic of Korean Medicine, discussed common misconceptions about bone health and eating habits that warrant caution in a recent video on the YouTube channel "Park Mi-kyung TV," according to medical sources on the 15th.
Does Eating Meat Weaken Bones? Protein Is Essential for Bone Health
Park first addressed the widely held belief that eating large amounts of meat acidifies the blood and leaches calcium from bones.
In the past, researchers argued that meat raises the body's acidity and weakens bones, based on the composition of ash left after food is burned. But the human body has regulatory systems that keep blood acidity constant, so eating meat alone does not easily acidify the blood.
On the contrary, the protein abundant in meat plays an important role in maintaining bone structure. Bones consist not only of minerals such as calcium and phosphorus but also of organic components including collagen.
Collagen in particular is necessary for maintaining the flexibility and structural stability of bones. Protein supplied through meat and other foods serves as a source of the amino acids needed to synthesize collagen.
"Meat is not an enemy but good material for protecting bones," Park said. "It does not stop at being a simple protein source. It is the best bone nutrition matrix, densely packed with key nutrients such as collagen that forms the mesh network of bone, fat-soluble vitamins and amino acids like carnitine."
Low Blood Sodium Raises Fracture Risk; Balanced Intake of Protein and Calcium Needed
The other concern Park pointed to was sodium deficiency.
Citing a study in the Netherlands that tracked more than 5,200 adults aged 55 and over for about six years, she said: "People who eat so little salt that their blood sodium is insufficient had a 61% higher risk of fracture — of breaking a vertebra or hip bone — than people with normal levels."
The Rotterdam Study published in the Netherlands in 2011 did find that hyponatremia, a condition in which blood sodium concentration is lower than normal, was associated with an increased risk of fracture.
Hyponatremia, however, does not arise simply from eating bland food. Changes in fluid balance, certain medical conditions and medication use can all play a role. Caution is needed in interpreting those findings as direct evidence that a low-salt diet itself raises fracture risk.
Park also described an experiment conducted by Japanese researchers on young women. In the study, participants restricted their sodium intake for a set period while supplementing calcium and magnesium, yet changes still appeared in mineral excretion through urine, she said.
Park explained that when sodium runs low, the body draws on minerals stored in bone as it works to maintain balance, which can have a negative effect on bone health.
"It is important to eat natural salt, which is rich in minerals," she said. "Eating enough salt and meat is the shortcut to keeping bones strong."
Eating large amounts of salt, however, does not necessarily make bones stronger. Excessive sodium intake can cause health problems such as elevated blood pressure, and it may also increase the amount of calcium excreted in urine.
For bone health, what matters is maintaining balanced habits — consuming adequate protein, calcium and vitamin D and exercising regularly — rather than severely restricting or overeating any particular food.
