From what foods to eat to improve bone health and reduce the risk of hip fractures, to the calcium 'thieves' hidden in our diets, to exercise and much much more. 

Dr. Rajiv Bajekal (MS, FRCS Orth., MCh Orth., IBLM) is a Consultant Spinal Surgeon based in London with over 35 years of expertise in Orthopaedics and Spinal Surgery. Specialising in the lumbar spine, he has a deep focus on managing conditions such as sciatica, low back pain, spinal stenosis, osteoporotic fractures, and infections. Dr. Bajekal prioritizes holistic and often non-surgical solutions for patients in severe pain, combining his surgical knowledge with his expertise as a Board-Certified Lifestyle Medicine Practitioner.

A strong advocate for lifestyle medicine, Dr. Bajekal has personally experienced the transformative benefits of a whole-food, plant-based diet and incorporates these principles into his practice. 

Dr. Bajekal has contributed to the UK's first plant-based nutrition course at Winchester University, where he developed a module on bone health and osteoporosis. He also co-authored a chapter on bone health in the academic book Plant-Based Nutrition in Clinical Practice. Passionate about education, he is known for making complex spinal topics accessible and engaging.

For more information, visit www.rajivbajekal.com and follow him on Instagram @drrajivbajekal

Relevant studies:
1. Tong, T.Y.N., Appleby, P.N., Armstrong, M.E.G. et al. Vegetarian and vegan diets and risks of total and site-specific fractures: results from the prospective EPIC-Oxford study. BMC Med 18, 353 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-020-01815-3

2.     Gómez-Cabello A, Ara I, González-Agüero A, Casajús JA, Vicente-Rodríguez G. Effects of training on bone mass in older adults: a systematic review. Sports Med. 2012;1;42(4):301-25.

3.  Messina M. Soy and Health Update: Evaluation of the Clinical and Epidemiologic Literature. Nutrients. 2016;8(12):754. Published 2016 Nov 24. doi:10.3390/nu8120754

4.  Sahni S, Mangano KM, McLean RR, Hannan MT, Kiel DP. Dietary Approaches for Bone Health: Lessons from the Framingham Osteoporosis Study. Curr Osteoporos Rep. 2015;13(4):245-255. doi:10.1007/s11914-015-0272-1
 5.  Qiu, Rui & Cao, Wen-ting & Tian, Hui-yuan & He, Juan & Chen, Gengdong & Chen, Yu Ming. (2017). Greater Intake of Fruit and Vegetables Is Associated with Greater Bone Mineral Density and Lower Osteoporosis Risk in Middle-Aged and Elderly Adults. PLOS ONE. 12. e0168906. 10.1371/journal.pone.0168906.
6.  Wallace TC. Dried Plums, Prunes and Bone Health: A Comprehensive Review. Nutrients. 2017 Apr 19;9(4):401. doi: 10.3390/nu9040401. PMID: 28422064; PMCID: PMC5409740.
7.  Sahni S, Mangano KM, McLean RR, Hannan MT, Kiel DP. Dietary Approaches for Bone Health: Lessons from the Framingham Osteoporosis Study. Curr Osteoporos Rep. 2015 Aug;13(4):245-55. doi: 10.1007/s11914-015-0272-1. PMID: 26045228; PMCID: PMC4928581.
8.  Laird E, Ward M, McSorley E, Strain JJ, Wallace J. Vitamin D and bone health: potential mechanisms. Nutrients. 2010 Jul;2(7):693-724. doi: 10.3390/nu2070693. Epub 2010 Jul 5. PMID: 22254049; PMCID: PMC3257679.
9.  Bolland M J, Avenell A, Baron J A, Grey A, MacLennan G S, Gamble G D et al. Effect of calcium supplements on risk of myocardial infarction and cardiovascular events: meta-analysis BMJ 2010; 341 :c3691 doi:10.1136/bmj.c3691
10.  Bolland MJ, Grey A, Avenell A, Gamble GD, Reid IR. Calcium supplements with or without vitamin D and risk of cardiovascular events: reanalysis of the Women's Health Initiative limited access dataset and meta-analysis. BMJ. 2011 Apr 19;342:d2040. doi: 10.1136/bmj.d2040. PMID: 21505219; PMCID: PMC3079822.
11.  Li K, Kaaks R, Linseisen J, et alAssociations of dietary calcium intake and calcium supplementation with myocardial infarction and stroke risk and overall cardiovascular mortality in the Heidelberg cohort of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition study (EPIC-Heidelberg)Heart 2012;98:920-925
12.  Price CT, Langford JR, Liporace FA. Essential Nutrients for Bone Health and a Review of their Availability in the Average North American Diet. Open Orthop J. 2012;6:143-149. doi:10.2174/1874325001206010143
13.  Bawa S. The significance of soy protein and soy bioactive compounds in the prophylaxis and treatment of osteoporosis. J Osteoporos. 2010 Mar 8;2010:891058. doi: 10.4061/2010/891058. PMID: 20981338; PMCID: PMC2957241
14.  Zhang X, Shu X, Li H, et al. Prospective Cohort Study of Soy Food Consumption and Risk of Bone Fracture Among Postmenopausal Women. Arch Intern Med. 2005;165(16):1890–1895. doi:10.1001/archinte.165.16.1890
15.  Tucker KL, Morita K, Qiao N, Hannan MT, Cupples LA, Kiel DP. Colas, but not other carbonated beverages, are associated with low bone mineral density in older women: The Framingham Osteoporosis Study. Am J Clin Nutr. 2006 Oct;84(4):936-42. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/84.4.936. PMID: 17023723.

16.  Chen L, Liu R, Zhao Y, Shi Z. High Consumption of Soft Drinks Is Associated with an Increased Risk of Fracture: A 7-Year Follow-Up Study. Nutrients. 2020;12(2):530. Published 2020 Feb 19. doi:10.3390/nu12020530
17.  Cheraghi Z, Doosti-Irani A, Almasi-Hashiani A, Baigi V, Mansournia N, Etminan M, Mansournia MA. The effect of alcohol on osteoporosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2019 Apr 1;197:197-202. doi:10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2019.01.025. Epub 2019 Feb 27. PMID: 30844616.
18.  Chang HC, Hsieh CF, Lin YC, Tantoh DM, Ko PC, Kung YY, Wang MC, Hsu SY, Liaw YC, Liaw YP. Does coffee drinking have beneficial effects on bone health of Taiwanese adults? A longitudinal study. BMC Public Health. 2018 Nov 20;18(1):1273. doi: 10.1186/s12889-018-6168-0. PMID: 30453911; PMCID: PMC6245613.
19.  Benedetti, Maria Grazia & Furlini, Giulia & Zati, Alessandro & Letizia Mauro, Giulia. (2018). The Effectiveness of Physical Exercise on Bone Density in Osteoporotic Patients. BioMed Research International. 2018. 1-10. 10.1155/2018/4840531.