Lifting weights may help vegans have stronger bones

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Scientists from St. Vincent Hospital Vienna found people on a plant-based diet who do strength training as opposed to other forms of exercise such as biking or swimming may have stronger bones than other people on a vegan diet.

About 6 percent of people in the United States are vegans. Recent research shows a plant-based diet can be linked to lower bone mineral density and increased fracture risk.

In the study, researchers compared data from 43 men and women on a plant-based diet for at least five years and 45 men and women on an omnivore diet for at least five years. Omnivores eat meat as well as plant-based foods.

The team found vegan participants who did resistance training exercises such as using machines, free weights, or bodyweight resistance exercises at least once a week had stronger bones than those who did not.

They also found vegans and omnivores who engaged in resistance training had similar bone structures.

The team says that veganism is a global trend with strongly increasing numbers of people worldwide adhering to a purely plant-based diet.

This study showed resistance training offsets diminished bone structure in vegan people when compared to omnivores.

People who adhere to a vegan lifestyle should perform resistance training on a regular basis to preserve bone strength.

If you care about bone health, please read studies about how to help protect bones as we age, and scientists find a simple and fast way to regrow bones.

For more information about bone health, please see recent studies about osteoporosis, and results showing eating prunes may help prevent bone loss.

The research was published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism and conducted by Christian Muschitz et al.

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