Nutrition Facts with Dr. Greger Healthy Bones
14 snips
Feb 9, 2023 What do vegetarian diets, animal protein, calcium loss, and milk have to do with strong bones? Explore research on bone density, osteoporosis, and hip fractures, including the surprising link between milk consumption and fracture risk. Plus, discover how adding plant foods fits into the picture of bone health.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Plant Foods Promote Stronger Bones
- Plant foods contain micronutrients and phytochemicals that promote bone health.
- Increasing plant consumption in midlife may help prevent osteoporosis regardless of baseline diet.
Early Study Mistook Darker X‑Rays For Denser Bone
- Early research comparing vegetarians and omnivores misread x-rays and got the conclusion backwards.
- The flawed study actually showed vegetarians had worse bone mineral density once x-ray interpretation errors were corrected.
Vegetarian Bone Density Differences Are Small
- Meta-analyses show lower bone mineral density in vegetarians and vegans but differences are clinically small.
- Many studies failed to adjust for confounders like body weight, making conclusions unclear.