Role of diet quality in bone health in children and adolescents: a systematic review

Abstract

Context: Poor diet quality and unhealthy dietary patterns have been linked to poor bone health, yet few studies have investigated the role of diet quality in bone health in pediatric populations.

Objective: This systematic review aims to assess the available evidence on the association between diet quality and bone health markers in children and adolescents.

Data sources: The PubMed, Scopus, and Virtual Health Library databases were searched electronically from October to November 2022, without any restrictions on date or language. The STROBE (Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology) checklist was used to assess the quality of the studies.

Data extraction: Published observational studies in children and adolescents (ages 2 to 19 years) that investigated the association between diet quality and bone health were eligible for inclusion. Two researchers independently analyzed and selected all articles using the Rayyan app. Initially, 965 papers were identified. A total of 12 observational studies qualified, including 8 cross-sectional and 4 longitudinal studies. The sample comprised 7130 individuals aged 3 to 17.9 years, representing both sexes. Bone health was evaluated by measures of bone mineral density and bone mineral content.

Data analysis: Seven studies (58.3%) showed significant associations between diet quality and bone health markers, all of which evaluated diet quality by identifying dietary patterns. Diet quality as evaluated by all dietary indexes was not associated with bone health markers.

Conclusions: Adherence to a healthy diet may benefit bone health in children and adolescents. These findings emphasize the importance of developing effective public health policies that encourage healthy eating habits from childhood to preserve bone health. Longitudinal research using a specific tool to assess diet quality in relation to bone health is warranted. Future studies should also measure bone-regulating hormones and markers of bone turnover.

Systematic review registration: PROSPERO registration no. CRD42022368610.

Keywords: bones; childhood; dietary patterns; eating habits; nutritional epidemiology.