Vegetarians are more likely to break an arm or a leg, especially because of calcium and protein deficiencies related to their diet.
- Vegetarians have greater fragility in the hips, legs and vertebrae.
- Regardless of their diet, individuals should ensure they are ingesting adequate levels of calcium and protein
Vegetarians have higher risk of fractures, says a new BMC study. More specifically, a low calcium and protein intake linked to these diets increases the risk of breaking an arm or a rib by 43%, with greater fragility in the hips, legs and vertebrae.
An 18-year follow-up
“This is the first comprehensive study of fracture risk in people on different diets,” details Dr. Tammy Tong, director of research. Besides vegetarians, “We also found that vegans had a higher risk of fractures, as their diet resulted in nearly 20 more cases per 1000 people over a 10-year period compared to people who ate meat. differences relate to hip fractures, where the risk in vegans was 2.3 times higher than in people who ate meat. details the health professional.
Of the 54,898 participants included in the current study, 29,380 ate meat, 8,037 ate fish but no meat, 15,499 were vegetarians, and 1,982 were vegans. Their eating habits and fractures were assessed for 18 years.
Watch out for BMI
Whatever their diet, “Individuals should ensure that they are ingesting adequate levels of calcium and protein and also maintaining a healthy BMI i.e. they are not too thin or too fat”, concludes Dr. Tammy Tong.
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