How Gwyneth Paltrow Adjusted Her Diet To Combat Low Bone Density

In 2010, Goop founder and actor Gwyneth Paltrow announced that she had been diagnosed with a bone density disorder years earlier. As a result, she changed her food choices — and continues to embrace those changes despite trying different eating patterns over the years.

Paltrow has osteopenia, the bone health state between normal bone density and low bone density (e.g., osteoporosis). Cleveland Clinic reports that over 40 million people in the United States are living with osteopenia. Many don't know it, because it doesn't present obvious symptoms; as such, it's typically found accidentally. According to Paltrow, she learned she had osteopenia after breaking her leg and knee bones. When healthcare providers took diagnostic images of the bone, they discovered she lacked sufficient bone density.

Though osteopenia can't be reversed, its progress can be slowed through the implementation of targeted strategies, including two diet adjustments that Paltrow made. While on the "Good Hang with Amy Poehler" podcast, Paltrow noted that she ate high amounts of protein, joking that she was "gonna gag down protein 70 times a day." Per a 2023 review in Nutrients, increased protein intake (along with adequate exercise) supports muscular development to protect the bones from breaking. 

The second of Paltrow's dietary modifications was adding more vitamin D into her diet through sun exposure and prescription-strength vitamin D. (Side note: The sun can be a good source of vitamin D, but exposure to it can affect your health in unexpected ways.)

Paltrow's osteopenia diagnosis while in her 30s might be considered somewhat surprising. Osteopenia typically appears in people (especially women) who are over age 50 rather than in younger adults. However, Paltrow had a trio of risk factors that might have contributed collectively to her lowered bone density, including her history of routine tobacco use, her adherence to a series of strict and limited diets, and a close relative's diagnosis of a similar bone disease.

Let's start with smoking, which is an activity that can reduce bone volume by making it harder by blocking the absorption of bone-supporting calcium (via the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons). Paltrow has admitted she used to smoke regularly. To her credit, she quit smoking when she got married in 2018. Nonetheless, that was more than eight years after her osteopenia was initially found, meaning her smoking might have affected her bone health and development.

Like smoking, following a restrictive eating regimen can also lead to deterioration of bone over time. And some experts have called Paltrow's regimented eating choices over the years "restrictive", in addition to surmising that her eating lacks balance. Case in point, Nutritionist Karen Reyes told Healthline that "Paltrow highlights low-calorie eating, fasting, restriction, and detoxing, which are all signs of disordered eating." (Check out more about Gwyneth Paltrow's most controversial health advice.)

On to the role of heredity: Having a close relative with low bone mineral density can increase a person's risk of osteopenia, and Paltrow's mother, performer Blythe Danner, reportedly has osteoporosis.  Consequently, this familial connection may also have played a part in Paltrow's condition.

Risk factors or not, Paltrow seems to be committed to addressing her bone disease beyond her nutritional habits. For instance, her workout plan keeps her fit, and fitness can be key to strengthening bone.