Vegetarians and vegans have a lower bone mineral density than omnivores

Objectives:
Do vegetarians and vegans have a lower bone mineral density than omnivores?

Study design:
This review article included 17 cross-sectional studies with a total of 13,888 patients.

Results and conclusions:
The investigators found the pooled results indicated, those on plant-based diets exhibited a lower bone mineral density at the lumbar spine [MD = -0.04, 95% CI = -0.06 to -0.02, p < 0.0001] and femoral neck [MD = -0.04, 95% CI = -0.05 to -0.02, p < 0.00001] and a reduced whole-body bone mineral density [MD = -0.03, 95% CI = -0.06 to -0.01, p = 0.0009], compared to omnivores.

The investigators found both vegetarians and vegans exhibited lower lumbar spine, femoral neck and whole-body bone mineral density than omnivores.

The investigators concluded both vegetarians and vegans have a lower lumbar spine, femoral neck and whole-body bone mineral density than omnivores.

Original title:
Comparison of human bone mineral densities in subjects on plant-based and omnivorous diets: a systematic review and meta-analysis by Li  T, Li  Y and Wu S.

Link:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34145511/

Additional information of El Mondo:
Find more information/studies on plant-based diet right here.