CONTEXT: Bicarbonate has been implicated in bone health in older subjects on acid-producing diets in short-term studies. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to determine the effects of potassium bicarbonate and its components on changes in bone resorption and calcium excretion over 3 months in older men and women. DESIGN, PARTICIPANTS, AND INTERVENTION: In this double-blind, controlled trial, 171 men and women age 50 and older were randomized to receive placebo or 67.5 mmol/d of potassium bicarbonate, sodium bicarbonate, or potassium chloride for 3 months. All subjects received calcium (600 mg of calcium as triphosphate) and 525 IU of vitamin D(3) daily. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Twenty-four-hour urinary N-telopeptide and calcium were measured at entry and after 3 months. Changes in these measures were compared across treatment groups in the 162 participants included in the analyses. RESULTS:Bicarbonate affected the study outcomes, whereas potassium did not; the two bicarbonate groups and the two no bicarbonate groups were therefore combined. Subjects taking bicarbonate had significant reductions in urinary N-telopeptide and calcium excretion, when compared with subjects taking no bicarbonate (both before and after adjustment for baseline laboratory value, sex, and changes in urinary sodium and potassium; P = 0.001 for both, adjusted). Potassium supplementation did not significantly affect N-telopeptide or calcium excretion. CONCLUSIONS:Bicarbonate, but not potassium, had a favorable effect on bone resorption and calcium excretion. This suggests that increasing the alkali content of the diet may attenuate bone loss in healthy older adults.
RCT Entities:
CONTEXT: Bicarbonate has been implicated in bone health in older subjects on acid-producing diets in short-term studies. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to determine the effects of potassium bicarbonate and its components on changes in bone resorption and calcium excretion over 3 months in older men and women. DESIGN, PARTICIPANTS, AND INTERVENTION: In this double-blind, controlled trial, 171 men and women age 50 and older were randomized to receive placebo or 67.5 mmol/d of potassium bicarbonate, sodium bicarbonate, or potassium chloride for 3 months. All subjects received calcium (600 mg of calcium as triphosphate) and 525 IU of vitamin D(3) daily. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Twenty-four-hour urinary N-telopeptide and calcium were measured at entry and after 3 months. Changes in these measures were compared across treatment groups in the 162 participants included in the analyses. RESULTS:Bicarbonate affected the study outcomes, whereas potassium did not; the two bicarbonate groups and the two no bicarbonate groups were therefore combined. Subjects taking bicarbonate had significant reductions in urinary N-telopeptide and calcium excretion, when compared with subjects taking no bicarbonate (both before and after adjustment for baseline laboratory value, sex, and changes in urinary sodium and potassium; P = 0.001 for both, adjusted). Potassium supplementation did not significantly affect N-telopeptide or calcium excretion. CONCLUSIONS:Bicarbonate, but not potassium, had a favorable effect on bone resorption and calcium excretion. This suggests that increasing the alkali content of the diet may attenuate bone loss in healthy older adults.
Authors: P J Elders; J C Netelenbos; P Lips; F C van Ginkel; E Khoe; O R Leeuwenkamp; W H Hackeng; P F van der Stelt Journal: J Clin Endocrinol Metab Date: 1991-09 Impact factor: 5.958
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Authors: A Mithal; J-P Bonjour; S Boonen; P Burckhardt; H Degens; G El Hajj Fuleihan; R Josse; P Lips; J Morales Torres; R Rizzoli; N Yoshimura; D A Wahl; C Cooper; B Dawson-Hughes Journal: Osteoporos Int Date: 2012-12-18 Impact factor: 4.507