Hip fracture is a common serious injury in older adults that reduces mobility, independence, and quality of life, and can lead to premature death. Around 1.6 million cases occur globally per year, and continual increases in the number of older adults worldwide suggests that cases could reach 4.5 million by 2050. Diet can affect bone health and risk of hip fracture, with varying risks in adults on specific diets. There is some evidence that vegetarians may have poorer bone health and higher risks of fractures than meat-eaters, but prospective evidence for hip fractures is limited, and the influence of factors including diet quality and body mass index (BMI) are unclear. The main aim of this research is to investigate risk of hip fracture in occasional meat-eaters, pescatarians, and vegetarians compared to regular meat-eaters. A secondary aim is to determine if risk of hip fracture in these diet groups depends on age, sex, diet quality, body mass index, and diet-gene interactions. Thirdly, we will explore the role of potential factors underpinning any risk differences, such as BMI, bone mineral density, and intake of nutrients that are mostly found in animal-sourced foods. The purpose of this study is to better understand hip fracture risk in vegetarian UK adults. The proposed project will use existing diet and lifestyle data from the UK Biobank resource, and hospital records of hip fractures.
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Hip fracture incidence (first)
Timeframe: Age when the completed questionnaire was returned (2006-2010) until age at event, death, or end of study period (2021).