A Large United Kingdom Study Correlates Vegetarian Diets with Higher Risk of Hip Fracture
According to a new study published in BMC Medicine (Webster, et al. 2022), women who are vegetarian are more likely to experience hip fractures compared to those who eat meat. The researchers analyzed health and diet records for 26,318 women between ages 35-69 in the UK Women’s Cohort Study over a 20-year period. They were classified as regular meat-eaters, occasional meat-eaters, pescatarians or vegetarians.
During the study period, 822 hip fractures occurred. After adjustment for factors such as smoking and age, vegetarians were the only diet group with an elevated risk of hip fracture. It was concluded that vegetarians may not be consuming adequate amounts of the nutrients needed for bone and muscle health, thereby increasing their risks for falls and fractures.
Nevertheless, It’s Possible for Plant-based Diets and Your Bones to Successfully Coexist
The researchers of the study did not warn the public to abandon vegetarian diets. As with any diet, it is not only important to understand personal circumstances, but also essential to know which nutrients are needed for strong bones. For example, vegetarians and vegans need to make sure they are getting adequate amounts of vitamins B12 and K2. These vitamins can be easily found in animal foods but must be sought after in plant-based diets. Some plant milks, some soy products, and some breakfast cereals are fortified with B12. Two examples of vegan foods containing vitamin K2 are natto and raw sauerkraut. Supplementation is often required.
Getting adequate protein and maintaining a healthy weight are also important for vegetarians and vegans.
Speaking of K2 – Did You Hear About the Jarlsberg Cheese Connection?
There’s been a lot of buzz lately about a recent Norwegian study examining the effect of Jarlsberg cheese on our bones (Lundberg, et al. 2022). In western diets, cheese is a major source of vitamin K2, but it turns out that not all cheese is created equal when it comes to K2. The amounts vary considerably, but Jarlsberg, it appears, is uniquely rich in this essential nutrient.
The participants were 66 healthy, pre-menopausal women, randomly placed in two groups. The first group ate a daily portion of 57 grams (about 2 oz.) of Jarlsberg cheese for 6 weeks. The second group ate a daily portion of 50 grams of Camembert cheese over the same period.
Researchers found that eating a serving of Jarlsberg cheese each day for six weeks resulted in higher levels of certain bone-health markers compared to eating a serving of Camembert cheese each day, and suggested that this dietary intervention could help prevent bone loss over the years.
(I checked and double checked – this study was not funded by the Jarlsberg cheese industry.)
Resistance Training May Be Especially Important for Vegans
I would be remiss if this post did not mention that good nutrition, regardless of type of diet, must be accompanied by a healthy portion of exercise! One cannot go without the other, but new research is showing that resistance training can offset the diminished bone structure often seen in vegan people compared to omnivores.
According to a study conducted at the Medical University of Vienna (Wakolbinger-Habel, et al. 2022), people on a plant-based diet who participated in strength training, (as opposed to other forms of exercise such as biking or swimming), may have stronger bones than those on a vegan diet. This observational study was conducted over a period of five years and included 43 men and women on a plant-based diet, and 45 men and women on an omnivore diet.
The researchers found that the vegan participants who did resistance training exercises such as using machines, free weights, or bodyweight resistance exercises at least once a week had stronger bones than those who did not. They also found that vegans and omnivores who engaged in resistance training had similar bone structure.
Lastly, click on the following link for a good review of ALL the nutrients needed for a healthy skeleton: https://americanbonehealth.org/nutrition/nutrientsforbonehealth/
References
Webster J, et al. Risk of Hip Fracture in Meat-eaters, Pescatarians, and Vegetarians: Results from the UK Women’s Cohort Study. BMC Medicine 2022; 20, 275.
Lundberg HE, et al. Effect on Bone Anabolic Markers of Daily Cheese Intake with and without Vitamin K2: A Randomised Clinical Trial. BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health 2022;0:e000424.
Wakolbinger-Habel R, et al. Self-reported Resistance Training is Associated with Better HR-pQCT Derived Bone Microarchitecture in Vegan People. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism 2022 Sep 28;107(10):2900-2911.