April 12, 2000
		U.S. Hip Fracture Rate Rises by 40 Percent Between 1988 and 1996, the incidence of hip fractures among women 65 and older has climbed 40 percent, the Centers for Disease Control reported Thursday. The report found that 1 in 3 senior citizens requires hospitilization for a fall each year, with a broken hip the most common and serious injury. Half of those who break a hip do not fully recover physically, often leading them to forfeit their independence and move in to nursing homes. Is it a coincidence that the highest rate of hip fractures and osteoporosis also occurs in the countries with the highest consumption of meat and dairy products? Doesn't milk build strong bones? What the dairy industry has chosen to ignore is that osteoporosis is really a problem of the body losing calcium and not one of insufficient intake. A 1994 report in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that when animal proteins were eliminated from the diet, calcium losses were cut in half. A 12-year Harvard study of nearly 78,000 women found that those who drank three or more glasses of milk a day had a higher rate of bone fracture than those who rarely or never drank milk. Similarly, a 1994 study of elderly men and women in Sydney, Australia, showed that those who consumed the most dairy products were more likely to break bones. Those who consumed the most dairy products had approximately double the risk of hip fracture compared to those who consumed the least. The Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine recommends getting calcium through plant foods, such as leafy green vegetables like bok choy and mustard greens, and fortified orange juice. ©1998-2000 Vegan Street