Hip Fracture Risk Reduced With Certain Dairy Products, Fruits, Vegetables

HealthDay News — High intake of fermented milk products, like yogurt, in combination with a high intake of fruits and vegetables, is associated with lower hip fracture rates in women, according to a study published online in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research.

Karl Michaëlsson, MD, PhD, from Uppsala University in Sweden, and colleagues used data from 38,071 women participating in the Swedish Mammography Cohort study (1987-1997) to determine how milk and fermented milk combined with fruit and vegetable consumption are associated with hip fracture.

The researchers found that, compared with a low intake of milk (less than 1 glass/day) and a high intake of fruits and vegetables (at least 5 servings/day), a high intake of milk (at least 3 glasses/day) with a concomitant low intake of fruits and vegetables (less than 2 servings/day) resulted in a hazard ratio [HR] of 2.49 for hip fracture. The higher hip fracture rate seen among high consumers of milk was only modestly moderated by an accompanying high consumption of fruit and vegetables (HR 2.14). 

However, the combination of fruits and vegetables with fermented milk (yogurt or soured milk) yielded the lowest rates of hip fracture in high consumers: HR of 0.81 for at least 2 servings/day of fermented milk and at least 5 servings/day of fruits and vegetables vs low consumption of both fruit and vegetables and fermented milk.

“We conclude that the amount and type of dairy products as well as fruit and vegetable intake are differentially associated with hip fracture rates in women,” the authors write.

Reference

Michaëlsson K, Wolk A, Lemming EW, Melhus H, Byberg L. Intake of milk or fermented milk combined with fruit and vegetable consumption in relation to hip fracture rates: a cohort study of Swedish women [published online October 30, 2017]. J Bone Miner Res. doi:10.1002/jbmr.3324