Meat versus fish: the impact on bone health

A team investigated the impact that fish and sea fish dietary patterns (FishDiet) and meat or processed meat dietary patterns (MeatDiet) have on bone mineral density and/or risk of fractures. They looked at data from 37 studies that involved 432,924 people and found that:

• MeatDiet did not affect bone mineral density or risk of fracture in 48% of people;
• FishDiet did not affect bone mineral density or risk of fracture in 87% of people;
• Positive effects on bone were found in 3% of subjects who consumed a MeatDiet and in 12% of people who had a FishDiet;
• Negative effects on bone were seen in 3% of people with a FishDiet and in 48% of those with a MeatDiet;
• Major negative effects of MeatDiet were found in people in the Netherlands, Greece, Germany, Italy, Norway, UK and Spain who do not have a Mediterranean diet (91%); in Korea (27%); in Brazil and Mexico (96%); and in Australia (63%);

“Negative effects on bone linked to FishDiet are almost null,” the research group explains. “Negative effects on bone were associated to MeatDiet in the setting of a Western Diet but not in Mediterranean or Asian Diets.”

Click here to read the original research

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