The Study
Healthy plant-based diet index as a determinant of bone mineral density in osteoporotic postmenopausal women: A case-control study
This study looked at what women ate and then checked their bone strength, but it didn't change anyone's diet to see what happened. So we can say that women with stronger bones tended to eat more fruits and veggies, but we don't know if eating those foods made their bones stronger—or if people with strong bones just happened to eat better.
Analysis score
Maximum 58 for a case-control study.
Where the score came from
This study looked at what postmenopausal women in Iran ate and how strong their bones were.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 558 / 100
Quality score
Researchers compare people who have a condition (cases) with similar people who do not (controls), looking back in time for differences in exposure. Useful but more prone to bias.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes — eating healthy plant foods may strongly protect bones, while eating unhealthy plant foods may greatly increase fracture risk after menopause.
- 2Women who ate lots of fruits, veggies, whole grains, and tea/coffee had 66% lower risk of weak bones.
- 3Women who ate lots of sweets, sugary drinks, and white bread had 2.6 to 4.2 times higher risk of weak bones.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Frontiers in Nutrition
Year
2023
Authors
Marzieh Ghadiri, Elhameh Cheshmazar, Z. Shateri, Shirin Gerami, M. Nouri, B. P. Gargari
Related Content
Claims (6)
Among postmenopausal Iranian women, the total amount of plant foods eaten—whether healthy or unhealthy—does not relate to bone density in the hip or lower spine when accounting for age, body weight, activity level, education, and calcium supplement use.
Postmenopausal Iranian women who follow an unhealthy plant-based diet eat fewer whole grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, dairy, and animal proteins, and more refined grains and sweets.
Postmenopausal Iranian women who eat more refined grains, potatoes, sugary drinks, and sweets have a 2.6 to 4.2 times higher likelihood of having low bone mineral density in the hip and lower spine compared to those who eat less of these foods, after accounting for age, body weight, activity level, education, and calcium supplement use.
Postmenopausal Iranian women who eat more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, tea, and coffee have lower rates of low bone density in the hip and lower spine compared to those who eat less of these foods, even when accounting for age, body weight, activity level, education, and calcium supplement use.
People who eat plant-based diets experience more bone fractures and higher rates of osteoporosis than people who consume animal protein.
In postmenopausal Iranian women with low bone density, eating more of a healthy plant-based diet is linked to higher intake of certain nutrients like fiber and magnesium and lower intake of saturated fat and vitamin B12, and these nutrient differences are connected to bone density levels.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.