Trends and hotspots in research on osteoporosis and nutrition from 2004 to 2024: a bibliometric analysis

The intricate association between nutrition and osteoporosis has garnered increasing attention, and approximately 3000 articles have been published in the past 20 years. However, there are currently very few comprehensive reviews on the development of this field. It is very necessary to retrospectively analyze the related articles and summarize the research hotspots, depth, and directions. This study aimed to quantitatively analyze, visually review and comment on the articles published in the field of osteoporosis and nutrition based on the bibliometric methods, providing new insights for future research. The related articles published from 2004 to 2024 were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection (WOSCC). CiteSpace 6.1R2 software was used to conduct collaborative network analysis of annual publication volume, author patterns, country/region contributions, institutional affiliations, journal publications, highly cited literature, and keyword clustering. A total of 2138 articles were assessed, revealing a consistent upward trend in published works in this domain, with the majority originating from the United States (564 papers). Seoul National University was identified as the most prolific institution (56 papers). Geng Bin was the most prolific author. Research hotspots included bone density, postmenopausal women, vitamin D, hip fractures, etc. Research subjects included physical activity, sarcopenia, calcium intake, machine learning, etc. Recent research trends indicate that cross-sectional study was more and the quality of life, muscle, and zinc are receiving attention in studies. Future research should continue to explore better methods for measuring bone density, investigating indicators for predicting fracture risk, exploring the relationship between various nutrients and substances with osteoporosis at a deeper level, and bolstering management strategies for male osteoporosis. Researchers should conduct longitudinal or interventional studies, and further improving the overall quality of life of patients with osteoporosis.