Dietary strategies for mitigating osteosarcopenia in older adults: a narrative review

The synchronic loss of bone mineral density and decrease in muscle mass, strength, and function defines the scenario of osteosarcopenia, which is associated with an increased risk of falls and fractures in older adults. An important role in preventing muscle and bone loss is played by nutritional factors, in particular the intake of proteins, calcium, magnesium and vitamin D. This review summarizes the available literature concerning the influence of protein intake and supplementation (vitamin D, Ca, Mg, branched-chain amino acids) on the decline of musculoskeletal integrity in healthy older adults. Furthermore, in this paper, we attempted to give some suggestions to build up adequate nutritional and dietary strategies against the age-related loss of muscle and bone mass.