Following a Mediterranean diet can reduce risk of a hip fracture in post-menopausal women, a new study is reporting.
For this study, the researchers headed by Dr. Bernard Haring at the University of Würzburg in Germany examined the health effects of eating a diet rich in fish, nuts and healthy oils in more than 90,000 women from the U.S. who were a part of the Women's Health Initiative study from 1993 to 1998. The women were between the ages of 50 and 79 when they were enrolled. At the end of the study, 2,121 women had suffered from hip fractures.
The researchers found that hip fracture risk was 0.29 percent lower in women who had closely followed a Mediterranean diet in comparison to women who either loosely followed the diet or did not follow it at all. The researchers also compared the participants' diets to three other diet plans, which were the Health Eating Index 2010, the Alternative Health Eating Index 2010 and the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH). They did not find a link between any of these three diets and hip fracture risk.
"There is strong evidence that an overall healthy dietary pattern, and specifically a Mediterranean-type diet, provides important health benefits," Haring told Live Science. "It was important to show that a Mediterranean diet as well as other dietary patterns do not increase the rate of hip fractures."
The researchers noted that even though a Mediterranean diet does not contain a lot of dairy, which has been tied to stronger bones, other aspects of the diet can be contributing to overall bone health. For example, plant-based foods and healthy fats have been associated with improved bone health. The researchers are recommending that women try to follow this type of diet more frequently as they age.
"The average women should follow a healthy lifestyle, which includes adopting a healthy dietary pattern, e.g. a Mediterranean dietary pattern, and being physically healthy," Haring said.
Dr. Walter Willett said that the findings from this study should be interpreted cautiously. He pointed out in an accompanying article to the study that women who follow a Mediterranean diet tend to also be more physically active. Being physically active can play a factor in hip fracture risk as well.
The study, which was published in JAMA Internal Medicine, did not examine the effects of eating a Mediterranean diet in men.
