Study: Increased risk of hip fracture in vegan women

Vegetarian diets have become popular in recent years as they are considered a healthier option and reduce the risk of various chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.

However, according to a new British scientific study, women who follow a vegetarian diet have a 33% higher risk of hip (hip) fracturethan those who regularly (at least five times a week) eat meat.

Researchers at the University of Leeds, led by James Webster, who made the relevant publication in the medical journal BMC Medicine, analyzed data from 26,318 women aged 35 to 69, of whom 822 (nearly 3%) had a hip fracture.

After being taking into account other factors such as smoking, it was found that vegetarian women were the group with the highest risk of this fracture. The scientists stressed the need for further research to better explain the exact reasons why a vegan diet is associated with an increased risk of hip fracture.

Webster said: “Our study is not a warning to people to avoid plant foods. Vegetarian diets can vary greatly from person to person and can be healthy or unhealthy, as can diets that include animal products. Unfortunately, plant-based diets often contain fewer nutrients associated with bone and muscle health. Nutrients such as protein, calcium, etc. tend to be higher in meat and other animal products than in plants. A low intake of such substances can lead to a decrease in bone density and muscle mass, which makes a person more vulnerable to the risk of hip fracture.”

Hip fractures have already become a global problem. Therefore, according to the researchers, it becomes important to study whether a vegetarian diet could be a public health issue in terms of fractures, reports in.gr.

Professor Janet Cade of the Leeds School of Nutrition said: “Hip fractures are already a global health problem with significant economic costs, causing loss of patient independence, reduced quality of life and increased risk of other health problems. The new study is an important step towards better understanding the potential risks of a plant-based diet over time and what can be done to reduce those risks.”

The study found that the average body mass index of vegans is slightly lower than that of meat eaters. Previous research has linked a low body mass index to an increased risk of hip fracture. Underweight people tend to have poorer bone and muscle health, so if they are also vegetarians, the risk of fractures is higher. Whether the results of the study apply equally to men is under investigation.

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