Vegetarian Women More Likely To Fracture Hips In Later Life, Study Shows

[appalachiablue]

- The Guardian, Aug. 11, 2022. 'Vegetarian women more likely to fracture hips in later life, study shows.' Ed.

Research suggests some vegetarians may not get sufficient nutrients for good bone and muscle health. Women who are vegetarian are more likely to experience hip fractures in later life than those who frequently eat meat, a UK study has found.

Researchers analysed health and diet records from more than 26,000 women and found that over a roughly 22-year period, vegetarians were a third more likely to break a hip than those who regularly ate meat. Scientists estimate that food production causes 35% of greenhouse gas emissions, and meat is responsible for more than twice the pollution of plants.

The reasons for the greater risk are unclear but researchers suspect some vegetarians may not get sufficient nutrients for good bone & muscle health, leaving them prone to falls & fractures. “The message for vegetarians is don’t give up your diet, because it is healthy for other things & environmentally friendly, but do take care to plan well & don’t miss out on nutrients that you exclude when you don’t eat meat or fish,” said Dr James Webster, a researcher at the University of Leeds.

Vegetarian diets are often considered healthier than meat-containing diets & they can reduce the risk of diabetes, obesity, heart disease & certain cancers. But the study published in BMC Medicine highlights the importance of a balanced diet whatever people eat.. Webster said vegetarians may want to consider eating fortified cereal with added iron & B12 for bone health, & to ensure they are getting enough protein, through foods such as nuts, legumes & beans... More, https://www.theguardian.com/science/2022/aug/11/vegetarian-women-fracture-hips-study-bone-health

[LisaM]

1. Good information.

It's probably possible to replace the nutrients without eating meat or fish.

As far as the environment goes, it seems we could go a long way if people cut back significantly on how much meat they eat, or if (as our ancestors did) we do better about fully using the meat products we do consume. I have been amazed at how much mileage I can get out of one chicken, winding up with highly nutritious bone broth, if I put my mind to it.

[appalachiablue]

12. Thanks for mentioning these points.

[FalloutShelter]

2. This is exactly why as a vegetarian of 45 years...

I describe myself as. vEGGan. I consume one to two eggs a day in various meals. I also take a high quality collagen supplement .(yes I do understand that this is heretical to some vegans...it is derived from bones and cartilage of animals and fish).

I highly recommend it. I am over 65 and take no presentation drugs and walk 3miles a day at a fast rate.
It's not for everyone, of course, but it works for me.

[hlthe2b]

4. Yup... It is not easy to get the quantity of protein from strict vegan diet. Possible but

difficult for most sans any and all forms of fish/animal-based supplementation. Add to that the need for adequate vitamin D (which you apparently supplement naturally with outdoor physical activity) and weight-bearing movement--all of which you seem to work to make sure you maintain.

I'm absolutely in favor of eating more plant-based foods. Strict absolute vegan diets, considerably less so for many/most people. And yes, of course not smoking and good genes make a difference as well, but diet is incredibly important.

[FalloutShelter]

5. I agree with everything you said.

I become a vegetarian in 1976 because of my concern about animal cruelty and factory farming.
There are so many more options available for Vegetarians today. Ultimately now it is about a sustainable diet that does not destroy the planet.

Diet For A Small Planet, by Frances Moore Lappe
Published in 1971, was the first major book to note
The environmental impact of meat production
As wasteful and a contributor to global food scarcity.

Even if you have no interest in vegetarianism,
This is still a great read.

[appalachiablue]

10. TY. I rarely eat meat & need to remember to add impt. nutrients.

[appalachiablue]

11. Well said, not a meat eater but I need to pay attn to points you mentioned.

[Ritabert]

3. They don't talk about a lot of factors

...like smoking (big cause of osteoporosis), heredity or hormone use. I'm vegetarian but still eat dairy and eggs. My last bone scan was very good.

[appalachiablue]

8. True, TX for adding this.

[keithbvadu2]

6. Our teeth show that we are designed as an omnivore.

Our teeth show that we are designed as an omnivore.

[d_r]

7. comment from reddit

https://www.reddit.com/r/science/comments/wldp5i/comment/ijsz228/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3

Feel like they buried the lede here; from the study:

Characteristics of the 26,318 cohort participants at recruitment are summarised by diet group in Table 1. Over a median follow-up time of 22.3 years, 822 hip fracture cases were observed (556,331 person-years), corresponding to 3.1% of the cohort.

So that's a 33% higher risk against a 3.1% average. Vegetarians have a 4.1% risk of hip fracture compared to the average of 3.1%, with an absolute delta of 1%~.

Meanwhile, also in the study for some reason:

On average, at recruitment, pescatarians and vegetarians were younger than regular meat-eaters, reported higher education levels, were more likely to have professional or managerial jobs and less likely to have routine or manual jobs, and were less likely to be married or have any children. BMI was lower in vegetarians (mean (standard deviation, SD) 23.3 (3.9 kg/m2)) and pescatarians (23.3 (3.5 kg/m2)) than in regular meat-eaters (25.2 (4.4 kg/m2)). Prevalence of CVD, cancer, or diabetes at recruitment was highest in regular meat-eaters (n = 1250 (10.2%)), and lowest in vegetarians (222 (5.8%)).

[appalachiablue]

9. Thanks for posting this info.