The Claim
Women who followed a lactoovovegetarian diet for at least 20 years exhibited 18% less bone mineral loss by age 80 compared to omnivorous women, who experienced 35% bone mineral loss by the same age, indicating a difference in age-related bone density decline associated with long-term dietary patterns.
What the research says
Supports is higher
Support is ahead, but a single strong opposing study can change this.
These are independent scores, not a percentage. Higher-grade studies count more, so a single strong opposing study can outweigh several weaker ones.
Women who ate a lactoovovegetarian diet for 20 years or more lost 18% less bone mineral by age 80 than women who ate an omnivorous diet, who lost 35% of their bone mineral by age 80.
See the scientific wording
Women who followed a lactoovovegetarian diet for at least 20 years exhibited 18% less bone mineral loss by age 80 compared to omnivorous women, who experienced 35% less bone mineral by the same age, suggesting long-term dietary patterns may influence age-related bone density decline in postmenopausal women.
Eating more plant foods with dairy and eggs produces less acid in the body than eating meat. When the body has too much acid, it pulls calcium and phosphate from bones to neutralize it. Over many years, this pulls more mineral out of bones in people who eat meat. People who eat a plant-based diet with dairy and eggs keep more mineral in their bones because their bodies don't need to pull as much calcium from bones to balance acid.
What the research says
1 studyStudy: Vegetarian lifestyle and bone mineral density.
Women who ate plant-based food with dairy and eggs for 20+ years lost less bone as they got older than women who ate meat — the study directly measured this and found the numbers match the claim.
Score breakdown, mechanism chain, raw evidence, ideal studies needed & 1 supporting studies
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.