Low bone mass in subjects on a long-term raw vegetarian diet.
BACKGROUND
Little is known regarding the health effects of a raw food (RF) vegetarian diet.


METHODS
We performed a cross-sectional study on 18 volunteers (mean +/- SD age, 54.2 +/- 11.5 years; male/female ratio, 11:7) on a RF vegetarian diet for a mean of 3.6 years and a comparison age- and sex-matched group eating typical American diets. We measured body composition, bone mineral content and density, bone turnover markers (C-telopeptide of type I collagen and bone-specific alkaline phosphatase), C-reactive protein, 25-hydroxyvitamin D, insulin-like growth factor 1, and leptin in serum.


RESULTS
The RF vegetarians had a mean +/- SD body mass index (calculated as weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters) of 20.5 +/- 2.3, compared with 25.4 +/- 3.3 in the control subjects. The mean bone mineral content and density of the lumbar spine (P= .003 and P<.001, respectively) and hip (P = .01 and P<.001, respectively) were lower in the RF group than in the control group. Serum C-telopeptide of type I collagen and bone-specific alkaline phosphatase levels were similar between the groups, while the mean 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration was higher in the RF group than in the control group (P<.001). The mean serum C-reactive protein (P = .03), insulin-like growth factor 1 (P = .002), and leptin (P = .005) were lower in the RF group.


CONCLUSIONS
A RF vegetarian diet is associated with low bone mass at clinically important skeletal regions but is without evidence of increased bone turnover or impaired vitamin D status.
Fontana
Luigi
L
Section of Applied Physiology, Division of Geriatrics and Nutritional Science, Department of Internal Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO 63110, USA. lfontana@im.wustl.edu
Shew
Jennifer L
JL
Holloszy
John O
JO
Villareal
Dennis T
DT
D015502:Absorptiometry, Photon; D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase / Q000032:analysis; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D001823:Body Composition; D015519:Bone Density; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis; D003094:Collagen / Q000032:analysis; D024042:Collagen Type I; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D014676:Diet, Vegetarian / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D018970:Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 1; D018969:Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Proteins / Q000097:blood; D020738:Leptin / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010024:Osteoporosis / Q000209:etiology*; D010455:Peptides / Q000032:analysis; D011257:Pregnancy Proteins / Q000097:blood; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000097:blood
D015415:Biomarkers; D024042:Collagen Type I; C032231:IGFBP1 protein, human; D018970:Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 1; D018969:Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Proteins; D020738:Leptin; D010455:Peptides; D011257:Pregnancy Proteins; C052929:collagen type I trimeric cross-linked peptide; D014807:Vitamin D; D003094:Collagen; D002097:C-Reactive Protein; C104450:25-hydroxyvitamin D; D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase