Tag: hip fractures

Categories : Diet and Nutrition Injury & TraumaTags :

Increased Risk of Hip Fractures for Women on Vegetarian Diets

On By ModernMedia
Source: Unsplash

Middle-aged women on vegetarian diets have a significantly higher risk of hip fractures than those on diets that include fish or meat, according to a long-term study publish in BMC Central. This risk remained even after accounting for the differences in available nutrient intake and body mass index.

Hip fractures greatly impact quality of life and and health outcomes, and carry a significant financial burden, with an average of $44 000 estimated to spent in the 12 months following a hip fracture. The growing trends of meat-free diets have prompted concern over their impact on hip fracture rates.

While increased intake of vegetable proteins has been associated with lower hip fracture risk, vegetarian diets have also been characterised by lower dietary intakes of nutrients that boost bone mineral density (BMD) and which are more abundant in animal products. Examples include total protein, calcium, vitamin D, vitamin B12, and ω-3 fatty acids, though the relationship with BMD is complex.

The researchers drew on data from the United Kingdom Women’s Cohort Study (UKWCS), and included 26 318 participants aged 35–69 who were classed into regular meat-eaters (> 5 servings/week), occasional meat-eaters (< 5 servings/week), pescatarians (eating fish but no meat) and vegetarians.

On average, vegetarians and pescetarians had a lower BMI (23.3 for both) than regular meat-eaters (25.2). At recruitment, regular meat-eaters had the highest prevalence of CVD, cancer, or diabetes (10.2%), and vegetarians the lowest (5.8%). A higher proportion of vegetarians reported never drinking alcohol. Regular meat-eaters reported the highest absolute dietary intakes of protein, vitamin D, and vitamin B12, whilst vegetarians reported the lowest. Calcium intakes were similar across the diet groups.

Before adjustments, compared with regular meat-eaters, vegetarians (hazard ratio 1.40) but not occasional meat-eaters (1.03) or pescatarians (1.04) had a greater hip fracture risk. Adjustment for confounders slightly attenuated these associations in the adjusted model, but the higher risk in vegetarians remained and was statistically significant: vegetarians 1.33; occasional meat-eaters 1.00; pescatarians 0.97.

However, even after adjustment for factors such as reported differences in nutrient intake and lower BMI, which is a known risk factor in hip fractures, the relative risk difference remained. This suggests that other, as yet unknown, factors related to the diets may be involved.

Categories : Ageing Injury & TraumaTags :

Psychological Resilience Aids Faster Return to Walking after Hip Fracture

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Carers help an old man to walk
Photo by Kampus Productions on Pexels

In a study of 210 community-dwelling older adults who had surgery following hip fracture, participants who reported feeling high levels of psychological resilience were later able to walk faster and longer than those feeling less resilient. The results, published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, will help the development of interventions such as targeted exercise programmes.

Walking capacity is a critically important outcome following hip fracture, in that it serves both as a surrogate measure of functional ability and physical health more globally, as well as a predictor of future survival, institutionalisation, social interaction and community engagement. Moreover, poor recovery after hip fracture causes considerable suffering for patients and imposes a financial burden on the social and health care sector. In 29%–50% of cases, older adults with hip fracture do not reach their pre-fracture levels of functioning a year after the fracture. Poorer pre-fracture function, greater cognitive impairment, greater co-morbidity burden, poorer social support, and poorer nutrition, have been identified as predictors for diminished post-fracture recovery.

Psychological resilience was measured through a questionnaire provided at the start of the study, and they assessed walking capacity at the start as well as 16 weeks later.

“We believe these results support opportunities to improve walking capacity following hip fracture in older adults by devising multicomponent interventions combining targeted exercise with psychological resilience-enhancing programmes,” said corresponding author Richard H. Fortinsky, PhD, of the University of Connecticut School of Medicine and the UConn Center of Aging.

Source: Wiley