Sought for Diet Study on Osteoporosis Women are now being recruited for a 10-month study at the University of California, Davis, to determine how diet affects the risk for osteoporosis. The study will compare women vegans to those women eating a typical American diet. The research is jointly sponsored by the UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Western Human Nutrition Research Center , based at UC Davis.
Osteoporosis is a disease in which bones become thinner and more likely to break.
The National Osteoporosis Foundation estimates that 10 million Americans have osteoporosis and another 18 million have thinner than normal bones, a risk factor for osteoporosis. Eighty percent of those affected by osteoporosis are women. Although osteoporosis is more likely to develop in women over the age of 50 who have reached menopause, risk factors for developing the disease can be reduced prior to reaching menopause. Diet is one important factor that affects the likelihood of developing osteoporosis. However, by participating in this study, the vegan community can make a significant contribution toward uncovering new clues about preventing osteoporosis.