Some vegetarian women may not get sufficient nutrients for good bone health – putting them at greater risk of broken bones.
Women who don’t eat meat are more likely to experience hip fractures later in life compared to those who do, a new study suggests.
Researchers from the University of Leeds followed 26,000 women who were aged 35 to 69 for about 20 years.
About 28 per cent of women followed were vegetarians and one per cent were vegan. Over the 20-year period, three per cent of the women in the group experienced hip fractures.
Dr James Webster, a researcher at the University of Leeds, said: “The message for vegetarians is don’t give up your diet, because it is healthy for other things and environmentally friendly, but do take care to plan well and don’t miss out on nutrients that you exclude when you don’t eat meat or fish.
“It’s likely that vegetarians, for one reason or another, and potentially because of lower intakes of important nutrients, have weaker bones and lower muscle mass and both of those things predispose people to hip fractures.”
Hip fractures are cracks or breaks in the top of the thigh bone (femur) close to the hip point. They’re usually caused by a fall or an injury to the side the hip, but may occasionally be caused by a health condition, such as cancer that weakens the hip bone.
Falls are very common among older people, especially in people aged 80 and over, who may have reduced vision or mobility and balance problems.
Hip fractures are also more common in women, who are more likely to get osteoporosis, a condition which makes bones weak and fragile.
Dr Tammy Tong, a senior nutritional epidemiologist at the University of Oxford, said: “Vegetarians should pay particular attention to maintaining a healthy body weight, and making sure that they have an adequate intake of protein and other nutrients important for bone health, including calcium and vitamin D.”
