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Updated: Dec 5, 2025
Scanning Skeletal Remains for Bone Mineral Density in Forensic Contexts
Published on: January 29, 2018
Bone loss, low height, and low weight in different populations and district: a meta-analysis between vegans and
Jianfeng Li1, Ruiyun Zhou2, Wei Huang1
1Department of Spine and Osteology, Zhuhai People's Hospital (Zhuhai Hospital Affiliated with Jinan University), Zhuhai, Guangdong Province, China.
Objective:
The aim of this study was to- conduct a meta-analysis of the association of bone mineral density, height, and weight in different populations between vegans and non-vegans.
Methods:
Based on a search of PubMed, Web of Science, MEDLINE, the Cochrane Library, the Wanfang database, and the CNKI database, 14 relevant publications were collected by two researchers. Review Manager 5.3 and Stata 12.0 software were used for data analysis.
Results:
The following results were observed in this study: 1) the density of lumbar vertebrae was higher in vegans than in non-vegans (mean difference: -0.05, 95% CI: -0.09 to -0.01, P = 0.01); 2) hip bone density was higher in non-vegans than in vegans (mean difference: -0.08, 95% CI: -0.14 to -0.02, P = 0.008); 3) weight was higher in non-vegans than in vegans (mean difference: -2.21, 95% CI: -4.05 to -0.37, P = 0.02); and 4) height was higher in non-vegans than in vegans (mean difference: -1.87, 95% CI: -2.52 to -1.22, P < 0.00001).
Conclusion:
Our study suggests that a vegetarian lifestyle may contribute to bone loss, low height, and low weight based on existing evidence.
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