Vegan health info... bones like the vege diet, lower protein etc....

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good news on bone health

 

Tue Apr 21, 2009 6:46 am (PDT) http://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/food-wine/2340503/Vegetarians-good-news-on-bone-healthVegetarians - 'good news' on bone healthAAPLast updated 05:00 17/04/2009Vegetarians have been delivered some "very good news" in an Australian study of a group of strict vegan Buddhist nuns.Bonedensity among the 105 nuns, who live in temples and monasteries acrossVietnam's Ho Chi Minh City, was found to be the same as non-vegetarianwomen matched in every physical respect.Sydney-based ProfessorTuan Nguyen, from the Garvan Institute of Medical Research,collaborated with Dr Ho-Pham Thuc Lan from the Pham Ngoc Thach MedicalUniversity to undertake the research."We showed that althoughthe vegans studied do indeed have lower protein and calcium intakes,their bone density is virtually identical to that of people who eat awide variety of foods, including animal protein," Professor Nguyen says."For the five percent of people in Western countries who choose to be vegetarians, this is very good news."Even vegans who eat only plant-based foods appear to have bones as healthy as everyone else."AlthoughProfessor Nguyen and Dr Thuc Lan do not advocate a vegan diet, they saythe study shows how fruits and vegetables are likely to have positiveeffects on bone health.The nuns came from 20 temples andmonasteries while the control group, 105 non-vegetarian women ofexactly the same age, were recruited from the same localities.The study found the nun's calcium intake was very low, only about 370mg a day while the recommended level was 1000 mg.Their protein intake was also very low at around 35g a day, compared with the non-vegetarian group, which was 65g.Professor Nguyen says Buddhist nuns were chosen because their faith requires them to observe strict vegan diets all their lives."Wedidn't study vegetarians from the West because many arelacto-vegetarians, so could have considerable calcium in their diets,"he says."It would have compromised the results."Theyalso caution the study did not measure the nun's levels of vitamin D –as important for healthy bones as calcium – or lifestyle factors whichcould curb the application of the finding to vegetarians living in theWest.The research is published in the online journal Osteoporosis International.Sandy BurnsFURRY GODMOTHER (companion animal sitting and transportation service)Hollywood, Flmollymcgee01 (AT) aol (DOT) com954-929-8896

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