London 11 August : Women who are vegetarians are more likely to suffer hip fractures in later life than women who eat meat regularly according to an UK study has revealed.Researchers looked at health and diet information of over 26,000 women and discovered that over a 22-year span vegetarians were three times more likely to fracture a hip than those who ate regularly meat The Guardian reported.
The reasons behind the increased risk aren’t clear, but scientists believe that vegetarians might not receive enough nutrients to maintain good muscles and bone health and are therefore more prone to fractures and falls.
“The advice for vegetarians is to not abandon your diet since it’s good for your health in other ways as well as eco-friendly, but make sure you plan your meals carefully and ensure that you are not missing out on nutrients that you do not get when you do not eat fish or meat,” said James Webster an academic at the University of Leeds.
Vegetarian diets are usually thought to be healthier than those that include meat, and they can lower the risk of obesity, diabetes and heart disease as well as certain cancers.
The study, however, released in BMC Medicine highlights the importance of eating a balanced diet no matter what people consume the Guardian reported.
“It’s probable that vegetarians either due to one or the other reason and possibly due to of the lower intake of vital nutrients have weaker bones and less muscle mass.Both of these factors lead to people being more susceptible to hip fractures” Webster said.
Around 90 percent of hip fractures can be due to falls.These are more frequent in older people who are less robust and have weaker bones.
However, fractures often cause further frailty, which can increase the chance of further falls, and a worsening of frailty.
The researchers suspect that vegetarians tend to be obese than meat eaters and that aside from having weaker muscles and bones, they may be less fat-laden, which could act as a cushion in the event of a fall according to the Guardian reported.
Based on the research, Webster said vegetarians may think about eating cereals fortified with B12 and iron to improve bone health and to make sure they’re getting enough protein from food items like beans, legumes, nuts and nuts.
san/
.
