Raw Food Eaters at a Lower Risk of Developing Osteoporosis, Study Says

The following information is for education only and is not meant to diagnose, prescribe, or treat illness.

Thursday, January 26, 2012 by: Diana Bocco, contributing writer

When studying the diet of raw foodists, researchers from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis made a startling discovery: low bone mass density and osteoporosis don't always go hand in hand.

The study looked at 18 people between the ages of 33 and 85. All had been following a strict raw vegan diet for an average of 3.6 years when the study started. The participants were not asked any health questions before the start of the study, and were from different socioeconomic status and from both sexes.

Raw Foodists Have Better Overall Health than the Average American

The first step in the study was to measure the participants' weight, BMI (body mass index), body fat and vitamin D levels. Researchers also looked at the participants' biological markers to understand genetic predisposition to certain inflammatory and chronic diseases. Finally, they measured markers of bone turnover, to see how bone production compared in raw food eaters compared to people on a standard diet.

In most areas, results were exactly as scientists expected: those who followed a raw diet were thinner, had less body fat, lower cholesterol levels and a healthier BMI. They also had significant lower bone mass, especially in the lumbar and hip areas. Low bone mass in those areas usually indicates an increased risk for fractures.

However, people at a risk of developing osteoporosis also have certain biological markers that go along with it. One is rapid rate of bone turnover; another one is high levels of C-reactive protein, which causes inflammation and weakens the immune system. Despite their low bone mass, raw foodists have normal to excellent levels of both. People who eat the average high-fat, high-sugar diet, on the other hand, usually perform poorly in both tests.

Diet Is Not the Only Factor Connected to Healthy Body Mass

Because all raw foodists studied consumed no animal products whatsoever (including dairy), their calcium intake was lower than the calcium intake of the average American. Green leafy vegetables contain a form of calcium but it's not as well absorbed by the body as the calcium in milk, so researchers looked at other reasons to explain the lower risk of osteoporosis.

One surprising discovery was that those on a raw diet had much higher levels of vitamin D in their bodies than the average American. Vitamin D is essential to bone health, and lower levels of it can increase the risk of fractures. Although the study was too small to make a general conclusion, it seems that people on a raw diet spend more time outdoors and receive more hours of sunlight (the main source of vitamin D).

The scientists who conducted the study believe more research is needed to fully understand the connection between low bone mass and osteoporosis, as the link is obviously not as simple as once believed.

Sources for this article include:

http://news.wustl.edu/news/Pages/4971.aspx

http://rense.com/general63/raw.htm

Diana Bocco, contributing writer Diana Bocco is a certified nutrition consultant and wellness consultant. She writes for the Discovery Health Channel and has been published in Marie Claire, Health.com and more. You can learn more about her work by visiting her website at www.dianabocco.com. View All Diana's Articles Subscribe To Diana's Article Feed