Why vegan diet may be bad for women
A bowl of vegetable salads. Some 3.5 million Britons now count themselves as vegans, who shun meat, fish, milk, eggs and honey, and in some cases refuse to wear leather made from animal skins. PHOTO | ANNA PELZER | UNSPLASH
What you need to know:
- The risk of breaking a hip is a third higher for women who are vegetarian than those who are regular meat eaters.
- The increase in risk may arise from meat-free diets tending to have less protein, which according to experts help build muscle mass, and vitamins and minerals such as calcium and vitamin B12, which help strengthen bones.
Scientists have found that vegetarian women have a higher risk of breaking a hip later in life than those who frequently eat meat.
A UK study found that the risk of breaking a hip is a third higher for women who are vegetarian than those who are regular meat eaters.
The increase in risk may arise from meat-free diets tending to have less protein, which according to experts help build muscle mass, and vitamins and minerals such as calcium and vitamin B12, which help strengthen bones.
The researchers further disclosed that women are more likely to break their hips than men especially as they get older because after menopause, levels of the sex hormone oestrogen fall thus leading to weaker bones.
While pointing out that broken hips are a significant cause of deaths in older people as they are hard to recover from and can result in extended immobility and health complications, researchers are of the view that ‘the effect on health is pretty big’.
Scientists in the past have said that vegetarians and vegans have weaker bones, which is why James Webster from the University of Leeds and his team took advantage of a large ongoing study that has tracked the health and lifestyle of over 26,000 women in the UK for about 20 years.
They explain that the women were aged between 35 and 69 at recruitment.
The researchers found that about three per cent of participants broke their hip during that time while those who were vegetarian had a 33 per cent higher risk of this happening compared with those who consumed meat at least five times a week.
The experts, however, note that there was no difference in risk between regular meat eaters and those who ate lesser amounts, or just ate fish.
Webster points out the latest findings shouldn’t make people quit vegetarianism “as people can get protein from dairy products and pulses and can take vitamin supplements or use calcium-fortified dairy products if necessary”.
