Vegetarian diet linked to weaker bones

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Vegetarians have been found to have slightly weaker bones than meat-eaters,

Australian researchers announced Thursday.

 

A joint Australian-Vietnamese study investigated the links between the diet and

bones of more than 2,700 people and discovered that vegetarians had 5% less

dense bones than meat-eaters, said lead researcher Tuan Nguyen.

 

Vegans, who refrain from eating all animal products, were mostly affected, with

6% weaker bones.

 

However, Nguyen found that there was " practically no difference " between the

bone density of meat-eaters and ovolactovegarians, who do not eat meat or

seafood but include eggs and dairy in their diets.

 

" The results suggest that vegetarian diets, particularly vegan diets, are

associated with lower bone mineral density, " Nguyen wrote in the study published

in Thursday's edition of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

 

" But the magnitude of the association is clinically insignificant, " he added. As

to whether vegetarians' lower bone density is linked to an increased risk of

fracture has yet to be determined, says Nguyen, who is from Sydney's Garvan

Institute for Medical Research and collaborated on the project with the Pham

Ngoc Thach University of Medicine in Ho Chi Minh City.

 

" Given the rising number of vegetarians, roughly 5% (of people) in Western

countries, and the widespread incidence of osteoporosis, the issue is worth

resolving. " Nguyen said.

 

 

 

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