The Epic (European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition) insieme all’Oxford University carried out between 1993 and 2001, and then continue the analysis until 2010 for a total of nearly 18 years, a major study focusing on British vegans and vegetarians. For the Oxford Vegetarian Study, published in the journal Bmc Medicine, have been involved approx 55 thousand people belonging to different food “categories”: 29,380 omnivores, 8037 pescetarians, 15,499 vegetarians and 1982 vegans. Medical records were then monitored until 2016.
Analysis of the collected data revealed that those who eliminate meat from their diet are more exposed to the risk of bone fractures.
They have been detected in all 3,941 fractures (566 in the arm, 889 in the wrist, 945 in the hip, 366 in the leg, 520 in the ankle, 467 between collarbones, ribs and vertebrae), both the result of trauma and inherent weakness: it has been noted that in cases of broken hip bone, vegans were 2.3 times more at risk than meat consumers. Furthermore, they were found to be 43% more likely to fracture other bones than those with a vegetarian, pescetarian, or omnivorous style.
The doctor Tammy Tong of the Nuffield Department of Population Health, one of the scholars who carried out the study, explained that in ten years about 20 more cases per 1000 people have been detected among vegans than in omnivorous people. Tong added that a diet rich in vegetables is absolutely healthy since it decreases the chances of contracting cardiovascular disease or diabetes, but it is always good to keep the risks and benefits of each diet under control, not forgetting the importance of calcium and protein.
Why are vegan bones weaker?
According to the Epic Oxford study, the cause of weaker vegan bones is to be found in BMI, which is the body mass index that calculates the percentage of fat relative to a person’s weight and height. The higher it is, the more a possible impact will be attenuated: this index was higher in meat eaters than in all other categories. In addition, omnivores take in more calcium, phosphorus, vitamins D and K, and above all proteins that help keep bones stronger and avert the risk of osteoporosis.
The result of this study reignites the debate on meat consumption: mass production leads to great pollution as well as not respecting the life of animals, not to mention that excessive consumption of meat can have serious consequences on the human body. On the other hand, however, there is the question of the nutrients that man needs to stay healthy. There Sustainable production of meat and its extremely low consumption should be the key to a balance between needs and sustainability.
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