Does a vegan diet lead to poorer bone health?

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Scientists from the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment examined the bone health of 36 vegans as well as 36 people who followed a mixed-food diet.

They found on average, people following a vegan diet had lower ultrasound bone values compared to the other group. This indicates poorer bone health.

The research is published in Nutrients and was conducted by Dr. Andreas Hensel et al.

In the study, the scientists also determined biomarkers in blood and urine. This aims to identify nutrients that might be related to diet and bone health.

Out of 28 parameters of nutritional status and bone metabolism, it was possible to identify twelve biomarkers most strongly associated with bone health—for example, the amino acid lysine and vitamins A and B6.

The team found that in most cases, the combination of these biomarkers was present in lower concentrations in vegans. This could be a possible explanation for the poorer bone health.

In another study from the team, 72 men and women were tested for their bone health using ultrasound measurements.

The team was able to identify a pattern of twelve biomarkers that play an important role in bone health from 28 nutrition- and bone-relevant parameters from blood or urine.

It was shown that in combination with vitamins A and B6, the amino acids lysine and leucine, omega-3 fatty acids, selenoprotein P, iodine, thyroid-stimulating hormone, calcium, magnesium, and α-Klotho protein were positively linked to bone health.

Conversely, lower concentrations of the hormone FGF23 were observed at higher ultrasound levels in this pattern.

These results indicate that vegans intake fewer nutrients important for bone health. Further studies are needed for clarification.

If you care about bone health, please read studies about how to protect your bones with exercise, and eating prunes may help prevent bone loss in older women.

For more information about bone health, please see recent studies about how often women should have bone tests, and results showing doctors often ignore this bone disease in men.

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