Vegan Diet and Bone Health-Results from the Cross-Sectional RBVD Study.

Juliane Menzel,Klaus Abraham,Cornelia Weikert,Rima Obeid,Isabelle Herter-Aeberli,Matthias B Schulze,Per Magne Ueland,Gabriele I Stangl,Tanja Schwerdtle

doi:10.3390/nu13020685

Abstract

Scientific evidence suggests that a vegan diet might be associated with impaired bone health. Therefore, a cross-sectional study (n = 36 vegans, n = 36 omnivores) was used to investigate the associations of veganism with calcaneal quantitative ultrasound (QUS) measurements, along with the investigation of differences in the concentrations of nutrition- and bone-related biomarkers between vegans and omnivores. This study revealed lower levels in the QUS parameters in vegans compared to omnivores, e.g., broadband ultrasound attenuation (vegans: 111.8 ± 10.7 dB/MHz, omnivores: 118.0 ± 10.8 dB/MHz, p = 0.02). Vegans had lower levels of vitamin A, B2, lysine, zinc, selenoprotein P, n-3 fatty acids, urinary iodine, and calcium levels, while the concentrations of vitamin K1, folate, and glutamine were higher in vegans compared to omnivores. Applying a reduced rank regression, 12 out of the 28 biomarkers were identified to contribute most to bone health, i.e., lysine, urinary iodine, thyroid-stimulating hormone, selenoprotein P, vitamin A, leucine, α-klotho, n-3 fatty acids, urinary calcium/magnesium, vitamin B6, and FGF23. All QUS parameters increased across the tertiles of the pattern score. The study provides evidence of lower bone health in vegans compared to omnivores, additionally revealing a combination of nutrition-related biomarkers, which may contribute to bone health. Further studies are needed to confirm these findings.

Highlights

In recent years, plant-based diets have become increasingly popular in Germany and many other Western countries [1,2]
The present study observed differences in bone health between vegans and omnivores, showing lower mean values of all quantitative ultrasound (QUS) parameters in vegans compared to omnivores; only differences in the broadband ultrasound attenuation (BUA) levels reached statistical significance
We detected differences in biomarkers related to bone health between vegans and omnivores, and an exploratory biomarker pattern was further derived, revealing a combination of biomarkers contributing to bone health

Summary

Introduction

Plant-based diets have become increasingly popular in Germany and many other Western countries [1,2]. A growing trend toward a vegan diet has been observed, referring to a diet without consumption of any animal products. People are turning to a vegan diet due to compassion for animals and awareness of environmental problems and for health benefits [1]. Scientific evidence suggests that a vegan or vegetarian diet may protect against many chronic diseases, e.g., diabetes [3], cardiovascular diseases [4], or cancer [5]. A vegan diet was found to be associated with lower bone mineral density (BMD), which is associated with higher fracture risk, compared to omnivores [6]. The skeleton is a dynamic and metabolically active tissue [7]

Methods

Results

Conclusion