Don't give up meat!
Veganism and vegetarianism increase the risk of fractures by 40%
Svetlana Maslova, Hi-tech+
Vegetarianism and veganism are associated with many health benefits, but there is a downside to such a diet. If a person eats unbalanced, then a deficiency of protein, calcium and other micro- and macroelements can significantly disrupt the balance in the body. British scientists analyzed data from 54,898 study participants for an average of 18 years and compared their eating habits and injuries. About the results of a study published in the journal BMC Medicine (Tong et al., Vegetarian and vegan diets and risks of total and site-specific fractures: results from the prospective EPIC-Oxford study) writes EurekAlert.
In the group of participants, about 29 thousand people ate meat, about 8 thousand were pescetarians (that is, they did not eat meat, but ate fish), almost 16 thousand were vegetarians and almost 2 thousand followed veganism. Their eating habits were evaluated before the experiment and at the end of the study. Scientists obtained data on bone fractures from electronic medical records. In total, they recorded 3,941 such cases during this time.
Vegans with low calcium and protein intake showed the worst results. Their risks of fractures of any type were on average 43% higher than those who ate meat.
Vegetarians and pescetarians had a higher risk of hip fractures, but they were partially offset by a healthy body mass index and dietary supplements, in particular calcium and protein. With a low BMI and a deficiency of protein and calcium in the diet, the risks of fractures of various localization were higher.
The authors emphasize that additional research is needed for final conclusions. In the current work, among the main limitations, scientists consider the lack of data on differences in the intake of dietary supplements among participants. In addition, more than half of the group of volunteers were women of European origin. Further observations should be more balanced, and data on the intake of dietary supplements will allow us to assess their benefits for bone health.
However, these results are enough to recommend people on such diets to pay more attention to their health, including the condition of bones, the scientists concluded.
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru