Nutrition school study may change dietary practices of elderly

A recent study by a Tufts nutrition school professor may shed some light on several health problems of the elderly, and the nation is taking notice. The research project is one of many conducted at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy to receive recent international media attention and work to further the school's mission of improving people's lives.

In a study of 342 men and women over age 65, Dr. Bess Dawson-Hughes found that calcium and vitamin D supplements had significant positive effects on bone density among the participants who took them. Dawson-Hughes is the chief of the Calcium and Bone Metabolism Laboratory at the nutrition school.

The study may have positive outcomes for the elderly, including the possibility of high protein diets as an option for older people to lose weight and the abatement of bone decay with calcium supplements.

High protein diets have long been considered to have adverse effects on elderly people, causing bone loss and fractures, but in a recent news release Dawson-Hughes said that her results indicate otherwise. "Our results suggest that a higher calcium intake is going to be protective against any adverse effects of protein on bone, and may allow protein to have a positive effect."

While the full effects of dietary protein on bone density are still uncertain, this study provides some evidence that low protein diets may be based on a misconception. The results suggest that calcium may in fact help the absorption of protein into the bloodstream.

Bone decay is also a serious health threat for the elderly, often leading to serious injury and immobilization. If addition calcium could prevent or delay bone deterioration, it would be a major medical advancement.

But the study results do not mean that people should rush to the pharmacy to buy supplements, according to Executive Associate Dean at the Friedman School David Hastings. "Nutrition is about the entire diet," Hastings said. It is better to have a balanced diet than to be constantly taking supplements, he said.

The Friedman School, though physically small, makes a great deal of noise in the research community and the media in general. It accounts for a significant percentage of university media coverage, said Hastings, and is the only graduate school dedicated solely to nutrition research in North America.

The main goal of the school, according to Hastings, is "to affect people's lives." Although the majority of its research takes place in Boston, the school has several field operations in Africa.

The school communicates information about studies like Dr. Dawson-Hughes' through several publications. By informing physicians of new experimental developments, the school hopes to improve dietary practices and problems worldwide.

The nutrition school's primary journal, Nutrition in Clinical Care, consists entirely of research done at Tufts. Researchers also have their studies published in national journals, such as The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, in which Dawson-Hughes' research appeared.

Dr. Dawson-Hughes is one of the leading researchers in her field, having focused on bone density research for the majority of her career. She received her MD from the Tufts University School of Medicine, where she is currently a professor.