Vegans and vegetarians often have nutrient deficiencies and lower BMI, which can increase the risk of fractures, says the study. In the second half of the blog, I make it clear that when it comes to BONE HEALTH, MUSCLE and BLOOD control the situation, not your food. And there is a long list of very good reasons to be vegan.
Non-meat diets may help you maintain healthy cholesterol, body weight, and blood-sugar levels. But these diets, particularly veganism, may also boost your risk of suffering broken bones, according to a new study published in BMC Medicine.
Here is the link to the study. It was not on the previous blog.
While the causes aren’t totally clear, the researchers suggested it might stem from vegans not consuming enough calcium and protein, or from having a lower body mass index (BMI), which leaves the body more vulnerable to fractures. The study is the largest to date on the relationship between fractures and non-meat diets.The researchers examined data from the long-running EPIC-Oxford study, which issued health surveys to nearly 55,000 people in the U.K. between 1993 and 2001, and followed up with them in 2010. For the recent study, the researchers collected additional follow-up data in 2016 using National Health Service records.
To study the relationship between diet and fracture risk, they sorted participants into four groups: meat eaters, fish eaters, vegetarians, and vegans. After controlling for variables like physically activity, sex, smoking, dietary supplement intake, and alcohol use, the study found that vegans had a 43 percent increased risk of any kind of fracture compared to meat eaters. The increased risk for vegetarians was 9 percent. The results showed that vegans were especially vulnerable to hip fractures, suffering 2.3 times more cases than meat-eaters. Vegetarians and pescatarians were also more likely to suffer hip fractures, though to a lesser extent.
Lisa’s Perspective (Me);
I’ve worked on the muscles for 21 years and what I know is that BONE STRENGTH and health are directly related to muscle strengthening and exercise far more than diet. In fact, I’m doing intense low impact workouts with a trainer right now that is based on a new technique unlike anything you’d see in a gym and my body is shrinking so quickly that I have to consciously make myself eat more. When I was fatter I didn’t eat as much. When you build muscle which then strengthens the bones, you need more GOOD calories. I’ll admit I barely eat processed sugar or saturated fat but I do eat a bit. I’m an omnivore.
I honestly don’t think that it matters that much what you eat as it does your activity level, amount of muscle and mental state (habitual thoughts and feelings that go into every cell of your body). Obviously your muscle to fat ratio should be much higher for the muscle. I think 23% body fat for women and 13% for men is what you should aim for. That’s part of the BMI or Body Mass Index but those have been known to be biased because some people naturally have far more muscle than others and height is not an indicator of that.
If you feel strongly about the facts surrounding meat consumption and the bunk about how unhealthy it is to not eat meat, I feel you. I go back and forth between periods of wanting meat and not wanting it. I follow my body. But it is ENTIRELY possible to get the amino acid proteins you need from plant food. There is no discussion there. Maybe this article has meat industry backers or their subsidiaries?
Bone health is directly related to the amount of muscle in the body and how strong it is which is measured by blood pumping through it. The short lesson is what I’ve said all along with regard TO EVERY SINGLE HEALTH ISSUE. The muscle and blood are the leader and king of the body. All health issues flow from that and therefore the healthcare industry needs to make the medical treatment of the muscle and blood flow the number one issue in healthcare and health education. Muscle strengthening is not an option. Everyone needs to do it for multiple reasons and bone health is a huge one.
When I was studying Manual Therapy the head of our school used to always say,
“It’s the muscle.”
He was a Naprapath, Chiropractor, Naturopath and Martial Arts champion.
Deep Tissue Therapy & Reiki Grand Rapids 