A new study published in the journal Frontiers in Aging is encouraging folks to switch up their diet and get active in order to prevent heart disease and osteoporosis, the latter of which can lead to bone fractures.
Researchers say prevention starts in midlife, but can have life-long benefits as we enter our 60s, 70s, and beyond. These aren’t life-altering changes, either. By moving around the house more or adding extra fruits and veggies to our diet, we could be sidestepping life-threatening events down the road.
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The study's objective was to "assess lifestyle [factors] against the outcomes of both fracture and cardiovascular-related mortality" among people in their seventh decade, as well as to provoke "behavior change interventions" in men, who are more at risk for heart disease.
Nearly 3,000 people born in the U.K. were involved in the long-term study; 53 percent were men (average age was 65) and 47 percent were women (average age was 66). Over 20 years, they participated in home and clinical visits and filled out questionnaires regarding diet and lifestyle behaviors. These included smoking habits and prior diagnoses of diabetes and high blood pressure.
Participants were given a "standardized activity score" based on weekly physical exertion, ranging from gardening to housework. Waist and hip measurements were taken during clinic check-ups.
The diet assessment categorized foods into 51 groups "based on their type and nutrient composition." A perfect analysis was deemed a "prudent dietary pattern." This type followed the "recommendations for a healthy diet, characterised by high consumption of fruit, vegetables, whole-grain cereals and oily fish, with low consumption of white bread, chips, sugar and full-fat dairy products."
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After 20 years, results were split, with more women (22 percent) experiencing bone fractures, including hip fractures, than men (nine percent). However, cardiovascular mortality was twice as likely among men as women. According to the findings:
- A prudent diet contributed to reduced bone fracture risk
- A prudent diet was associated with higher physical activity levels
- There was a strong correlation between non-smokers and prudent diets
- Increased fracture and cardiovascular risk were more common among smokers and non-active individuals
While calcium is known for its bone density and strength benefits, researchers found a link between calcium supplements and increased fracture risk. This could be due to "reverse causality, as calcium supplements will typically be prescribed following an osteoporotic fracture," per the study.
When it came to cardiovascular-related mortality, "a higher dietary calcium intake" was a protective factor.
"We hope demonstration of the association of good diet in midlife with both hip fracture and cardiovascular-related mortality will motivate individuals to make changes for the better. Even if it is hard to convince some groups of the benefits of change for bone health, illustration of rewards for cardiovascular disease may prove more persuasive," wrote the authors.
