Vegetarianism is not a serious risk factor for osteoporotic fracture.

Bone health has been a concern to those who choose a vegetarian diet. A newly published meta-analysis of nine earlier studies on bone-mineral density (BMD) and vegetarian diets is cause to breathe a bit easier. While vegetarians and vegans have a slightly lower BMD (4% and 6% respectively) than omnivores, the size of the difference is very small and "clinically insignificant". An accompanying editorial stated, "it can be concluded that vegetarianism is not a serious risk factor for osteoporotic fracture."

PositiveTip: A healthy vegetarian diet can lower the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and some forms of cancer, but does not increase the risk of bone fractures.