Raw food eaters thin but healthy
Source > http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4389837.stm
People who follow a raw food vegetarian diet are light
in weight but healthy, according to US researchers.
It has been suggested that eating only plant-derived
foods that have not been cooked or processed might
make bones thinner and prone to fractures.
But a study in Archives of Internal Medicine found
although bones were lighter on this diet, turnover
rates were normal with no osteoporosis.
The lower bone mass is down to raw food eaters being
slim, believe the authors.
We recommend a varied, healthy, balanced diet which
includes raw fruit and vegetables as well as other
foods
Dr Stephen Walsh, nutrition spokesperson for the Vegan
Society
The researchers compared the bone health of 18 people
who had been following strict raw food diets for up to
10 years with that of people who ate a more typical
American diet, including refined carbohydrates, animal
products and cooked foods.
The raw food diet is different to more typical
vegetarian and vegan diets, which do not exclude
cooked, processed or otherwise refined foods.
The groups were matched according to age, sex and
socioeconomic status.
To gauge bone health, the researchers looked at each
person's body weight, bone weight and mineral density,
markers of bone turnover, levels of vitamin D and
inflammatory markers.
Bone health
The raw food vegetarians in the study had lower body
weights (BMI) and total body fat than the other
volunteers. They also had lower bone mass and bone
mineral density.
"It is well documented that a low BMI and weight loss
are strongly associated with low bone mass and
increased fracture risk, while obesity protects
against osteoporosis," said the researchers.
But the people who followed raw food diets did not
have any other biological markers that typically
accompany osteoporosis and had normal rates of bone
turnover.
Lead researcher Dr Luigi Fontana, from Washington
University School of Medicine in St Louis, said: "We
think it's possible these people don't have increased
risk of fracture but that their low bone mass is
related to the fact that they are lighter because they
take in fewer calories."
Dr Fontana said the raw food diet group also had
higher vitamin D levels than people on a typical
Western diet, even though they did not consume dairy
products which are known to be a good source of
vitamin D.
He said this was probably down to sun exposure.
Dr Stephen Walsh, nutrition spokesperson for the Vegan
Society, said it was to be expected that people who
ate only raw foods would be slimmer and that this
would in turn have an effect on bone mass.
Balanced diet
He stressed that raw food vegetarians account for only
a minority of people who are vegan and vegetarian, and
that some might find it difficult to get enough
calories to maintain a healthy weight eating only raw
foods.
"We recommend a varied, healthy, balanced diet which
includes raw fruit and vegetables as well as other
foods," he said.
A spokeswoman from the Vegetarian Society said the
study was interesting, but given that only 18 people
were studied, its usefulness to those wishing to
follow a vegetarian or vegan diet was very limited.
"We recommend eating a healthy, well balanced
vegetarian or vegan diet that includes 2-3 portions
per day of high protein foods such as pulses, nuts,
soya and wheat proteins, five portions of
carbohydrates (the less refined the better), 2-3
portions of dairy products or calcium-enriched dairy
alternatives and at least five portions of fruit and
vegetables.
"Raw foods can and should be included within this
'balance' but it is not advisable to embark on an
exclusively raw food diet without proper research and
expert advice," she said.
A spokesman for the National Osteoporosis Society
said: "This is an interesting study which highlights
the fact that low bone density is just one part of our
overall risk of breaking bones.
"We would recommend that raw food vegans make sensible
food choices to ensure they are taking in an adequate
amount of calcium from a variety of foods and ensure
they obtain good amounts of vitamin D from sensible
exposure to sunlight."
Elaine Bruce, experienced naturopath, homeopath and
director of the UK Centre for Living Foods, said
calcium was important for building bones, but that
inorganic calcium in the form of supplements would not
do the job.
"You have to have organic calcium as it occurs in
fresh green leafy vegetables. "What we do in our
programme is maximise that intake by having it in
juice form."
She said that the chlorophyll found in green plants
and vegetables also contained right amount of
magnesium that is essential for the uptake of calcium
for healthy bones.
"The chemical composition of chlorophyll and blood is
very similar which further facilitates this uptake,"
she added.
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