Mediterranean Diet Linked to Lower Hip Fracture Risk, Study Finds

Women who did Mediterranean diet had a little bit lower risk for hip fracture, compared with women who ate normal healthy diets. The findings were discovered by Women's Health Initiative (WHI).

The study was published Monday in JAMA Internal Medicine.

The investigators analyzed data from 40 medical clinics throughout the United States that were included in the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) observational study. The study group number were 93,676 women who were eligible for the WHI if they were aged 50 to 79 years. The women was tracked from October 1, 1993 through December 31, 1998; the study ending August 29, 2014.

16 years after, there were 2,121 cases of hip fractures and 28,718 cases of total fractures. Women who did Mediterranean diet were 0.29% less likely to suffer from a hip fracture than women who didn't follow the diet. The other three diets showed almost no success.

"Our results provide assurance that widely recommended eating patterns do not increase the risk of fractures," said lead study author Dr. Bernhard Haring of the University of Wurzburg in Germany. "This being said, the average woman should follow a healthy lifestyle which includes adopting a healthy dietary pattern and being physically active."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate at least 250,000 people older than age 65 are hospitalized each year for hip fractures, and more than 95 percent of hip fractures are caused by falling.

Also research has revealed that the traditional Mediterranean diet also reduces the risk of heart disease. In fact, an analysis of more than 1.5 million healthy adults showed that following a Mediterranean diet was linked toreduced risk of death from heart disease and cancer, as well as a reduced incidence of Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases.

The Mediterranean diet emphasizes: Eating primarily plant-based foods, such as fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes and nuts.