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Those who pursue a vegan diet have a 43% higher risk of bone fracture compared to those who eat meat, according to newly published University of Oxford research.
The study was conducted on nearly 55,000 participants living in the UK. Non-meat eaters, especially vegans, had a higher risk of either total or some site-specific fractures, particularly hip fractures.
Vegetarians and people who ate fish but not meat had a higher risk of hip fractures, compared to those who ate meat.
Incidents of injury
The study found that the biggest differences were for hip fractures where the risk in vegans was more than twice that for those who ate meat.
Participants were categorised into four diet groups with 29,380 meat eaters, 8,037 fish eaters, 15,499 vegetarians, and 1,982 vegans. Outcomes were identified through linkage to hospital records or death certificates.
The risk of fractures was partly reduced once body mass index (BMI), dietary calcium and dietary protein intake were taken into account.
The researchers noted that there is limited evidence on possible differences in fracture risks between vegetarians, vegans, and non-vegetarians.
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