According to recently published findings (1), women who eat a vegetarian diet may have a greater chance of suffering a hip fracture in their later years.
After finding that female vegetarians had a 33% greater risk of hip fracture in comparison to typical meat eaters, researchers stated that vegetarian diets “generally have lower intakes of nutrients that are connected with bone and muscle health.”
The purpose of the study was to compare the risk of hip fracture among vegetarians, pescatarians (people who eat fish but not meat), and occasional meat eaters with the risk of hip fracture among vegetarians and regular meat eaters. The study included more than 26,000 women aged 35-69 from across the UK.
The findings of the study were recently published in the journal BMC Medicine. The researchers followed the ladies for almost 20 years and found that there were 822 hip fractures among them after that time period.
The information came from the UK Women’s Cohort Study, which follows a group of women over a period of time to analyse the potential dangers associated with nutrition and health.
The findings of the study, which were led by James Webster, a researcher from the School of Food Science and Nutrition at the University of Leeds, were not intended to be interpreted as a recommendation for individuals to stop becoming vegetarians.He stated that “Our study reveals potential concerns regarding risk of hip fracture in vegetarian women.” (Our study highlights potential concerns regarding risk of hip fracture in vegetarian women.)
“However, this does not serve as a call for people to give up on vegetarian diets. As is the case with any diet, it is essential to comprehend one’s individual circumstances in addition to the nutrients required for a well-rounded, healthy way of life.”
It is common for vegetarian diets to have lower intakes of nutrients that are related with maintaining healthy bones and muscles. Protein, calcium, and several other micronutrients are examples of the kinds of nutrients that are typically found in greater quantities in meat and other animal products than they are in plant foods.
“Having a poor intake of these nutrients can lead to lower bone mineral density and muscle mass, both of which can make you more sensitive to the risk of hip fractures.”
According to the researchers, additional research is required to determine whether or not men could potentially have the same results.
https://bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12916-022-02468-0
