What is the link between gut health and bone health?

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    Last Updated: May 16, 2025

    The gut-bone axis highlights the connection between gut health and bone health, and gut dysbiosis can impair calcium absorption and release inflammatory cytokines that negatively affect bone mineral density. Research suggests that probiotics and dietary interventions, such as the Mediterranean diet, may improve bone health by positively influencing the gut microbiome.

    The relationship between gut health and bone health — known as the gut-bone axis — is an emerging area of research.[1] There are a number of potential ways in which the two may be connected. For one, gut dysbiosis impairs the absorption of calcium in the intestines. Additionally, several gut-derived metabolites exert control over cells that are responsible for bone turnover. Finally, gut-dysbiosis-induced intestinal permeability causes the release of inflammatory cytokines into the bloodstream, which can negatively affect BMD and other bone-health-related factors.

    Prebiotics and probiotics have been investigated for their ability to improve bone health via their effects on the gut microbiome. While more research is needed, some evidence suggests that probiotic supplementation may protect against the loss of BMD and improve markers of bone turnover in postmenopausal women.[1]

    Modulation of the gut microbiota through other means, such as diet, synbiotics, postbiotics, antibiotics, and fecal microbiota transplantation, is another avenue through which the gut-bone axis can be targeted to improve bone health. The Mediterranean diet may exert favorable effects on reducing fracture risk due to its high content of fiber, fermented dairy, and polyphenols, which favorably alter the composition of the gut microbiome.[2]

    What is the link between gut health and bone health? - Examine