{"id":17687,"date":"2025-04-13T22:54:11","date_gmt":"2025-04-13T22:54:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/17687\/"},"modified":"2025-04-13T22:54:11","modified_gmt":"2025-04-13T22:54:11","slug":"dietary-habits-in-your-60s-may-affect-hip-fracture-heart-disease-risk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/17687\/","title":{"rendered":"Dietary habits in your 60s may affect hip fracture, heart disease risk"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Diet-exercise-Stocksy_txp9ac74dacXs6400_Medium_5779949-Header-1024x575.jpg\" alt=\"older man facing the sunset on a hike\" class=\"css-1jytyml\"\/><a class=\"icon-hl-pinterest css-11oz8gb\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" data-event=\"Any Page|Image Pinterest Click|Icon Clicked\" data-element-event=\"OPEN|CONTENTBLOCK|Any Page|Article Body|BUTTON|Image Widget Pinterest Click|\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/button\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.medicalnewstoday.com%2Farticles%2Fhow-can-you-avoid-fractures-heart-issues-in-your-60s-diet-may-be-the-answer&amp;media=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.post.rvohealth.io%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F3%2F2025%2F04%2FDiet-exercise-Stocksy_txp9ac74dacXs6400_Medium_5779949-Header-1024x575.jpg&amp;description=Dietary%20habits%20in%20your%2060s%20may%20affect%20hip%20fracture%2C%20heart%20disease%20risk\" title=\"Share on Pinterest\" data-pin-custom=\"true\" data-share-url=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Diet-exercise-Stocksy_txp9ac74dacXs6400_Medium_5779949-Header-1024x575.jpg\">Share on Pinterest<\/a>People in their 60s with \u2018prudent\u2019 dietary habits and who engaged in regular physical activity were less likely to experience bone fractures or death related to heart issues. Image credit: Alba Vitta Studio\/Stocksy.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Researchers in the United Kingdom followed a group of older adults to assess how lifestyle habits influenced health factors such as bone fractures and cardiovascular disease mortality. <\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>The researchers followed the adults, who were around age 65 when the study began, for 20 years.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>The researchers found an association between more prudent dietary choices and a slightly lower risk of bone fractures and heart disease mortality.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>As adults reach mid-life and older age, fractures and heart disease become a higher concern. Older adults have a <a href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC3118151\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"content-link css-90fpmc\">high mortality rate<\/a> following hip fractures, and the leading cause of death in adults aged 65 and up is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/books\/NBK600454\/table\/ch2.tab4\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"content-link css-90fpmc\">heart disease<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>With this in mind, researchers from the University of Southampton, in the United Kingdom, published a paper in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/journals\/aging\/articles\/10.3389\/fragi.2025.1490124\/full\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"content-link css-90fpmc\">Frontiers in Aging<\/a> outlining their findings about associations between dietary choices and fractures and heart disease mortality in older adults. <\/p>\n<p>After 2 decades of monitoring a group of participants, the scientists learned that people who made more \u201cprudent\u201d dietary choices were more likely to have lower risks in these areas. <\/p>\n<p>Healthcare providers advise their patients on preventative measures, such as how to prevent osteoporosis and heart disease, especially in older age. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.medicalnewstoday.com\/articles\/155646\" class=\"content-link css-90fpmc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Osteoporosis<\/a> causes weak bones which can lead to an increase in fractures.<\/p>\n<p>Since nutritional choices are an important aspect of maintaining health, researchers often look into whether current recommendations are still appropriate and adjust them when new evidence arises. <\/p>\n<p>The new study looked into how a prudent diet and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.medicalnewstoday.com\/articles\/248958\" class=\"content-link css-90fpmc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">calcium<\/a> intake affected bone fractures and heart disease mortality in the long run for older adults. Calcium is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.niams.nih.gov\/health-topics\/calcium-and-vitamin-d-important-bone-health\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"content-link css-90fpmc\">linked<\/a> to bone health, and a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nhlbi.nih.gov\/health\/heart-healthy-living\/healthy-foods\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"content-link css-90fpmc\">heart-healthy diet<\/a> can lower heart disease risk.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The researchers described a prudent diet as \u201ccharacterized by high consumption of fruit, vegetables, whole-grain cereals, and oily fish, with low consumption of white bread, chips, sugar, and full-fat dairy products.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Nearly 3,000 older adults joined the study: 47% of the participants were women, and 53% were men. <\/p>\n<p>They consented to home visits and clinical visits and also released their healthcare records so the researchers could keep tabs on their health. They also completed questionnaires about dietary and lifestyle choices. <\/p>\n<p>At the end of the 20-year follow-up, 2% of men and 5% of women had a hip fracture during the study period; 22% of women and 9% of men had any type of fracture. For cardiovascular mortality, this occurred in 11% of men and 5% of women. <\/p>\n<p>As far as prudent diet choices and hip fractures were concerned, the researchers found an association between the two. People who made better dietary choices overall had a slightly reduced risk of this sort of fracture. <\/p>\n<p><strong>When looking specifically at dietary calcium, this was not linked to a lower <a href=\"https:\/\/www.medicalnewstoday.com\/articles\/hip-fracture-recovery\" class=\"content-link css-90fpmc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">hip fracture<\/a> risk, but the researchers did note it was associated with a protective benefit in regards to cardiovascular mortality. <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The researchers also found that participants with more prudent diets were more likely to have higher levels of physical activity and less likely to have a smoking history.<\/p>\n<p>Participants with lower levels of reported physical activity and a history of smoking had increased fracture and cardiovascular risks.<\/p>\n<p>The study emphasizes the importance of public health education on dietary and lifestyle choices, particularly as adults reach middle and older age. Taking measures to improve bone health such as focusing on calcium in the diet may provide heart protective benefits as well.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.memorialcare.org\/providers\/cheng-han-chen\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"content-link css-90fpmc\">Cheng-Han Chen<\/a>, MD, a board-certified interventional cardiologist and medical director of the Structural Heart Program at Saddleback Medical Center, spoke with Medical News Today about the study findings.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u201cAs an observational study, it is unclear whether this association is causative, or it is confounded by other associated factors like physical activity and hypertension, which are more closely linked to the outcome,\u201d Chen, who was not involved in this research, pointed out.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>He also noted that \u201cthese long-term observational studies are useful in finding associations between multiple factors but less useful in determining actual cause and effect.\u201c<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.memorialcare.org\/providers\/timothy-w-gibson\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"content-link css-90fpmc\">Timothy Gibson<\/a>, MD, a board-certified orthopedic surgeon and medical director of the MemorialCare Joint Replacement Center, also gave MNT his thoughts about the study.<\/p>\n<p>Gibson, similarly not involve in the research, also emphasized that the study findings demonstrate only an association between prudent diet and fracture risk.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u201cThe evidence from this type of study can show association but not necessarily causation,\u201d commented Gibson. \u201cIt can still provide interesting educational information and help with public health guidelines.\u201d <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Gibson was surprised that the study did not find a stronger connection between adhering to a more prudent diet and a lower hip fracture risk.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe dietary data was self-reported and probably one of the least stringent aspects of the study,\u201d he pointed out.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/med.uth.edu\/internalmedicine\/2022\/11\/17\/john-p-higgins-md-mba-hons-mphil-facc-facp-faha-facsm-fasnc-fsgc\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" class=\"content-link css-90fpmc\">John P. Higgins<\/a>, MD, MBA, a sports cardiologist at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth in Houston, shared with MNT some dietary and lifestyle habits people can focus on as they age.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere are several things you can do and eat that promote both heart health and bone health,\u201d Higgins said.<\/p>\n<p>For one, he suggested weight-bearing exercises for both bone and heart health.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u201cWalking, jogging, dancing, and weightlifting are excellent for both the heart and bones,\u201d Higgins advised. \u201cThese activities help improve cardiovascular health while stimulating bone density, preventing bone loss.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Higgins also suggested strength training and participating in stretching and balancing exercises.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow css-34gtoi\">\n<p>\u201cKale, spinach, and collard greens are rich in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.medicalnewstoday.com\/articles\/219867\" class=\"content-link css-90fpmc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">vitamin K<\/a>, calcium, and other nutrients that support bone health. They also have antioxidants that help reduce inflammation, which benefits the heart.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>People can also incorporate fatty fish, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds, and fortified plant milks for bone and heart health. Including dairy or foods high in calcium is also important.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBy combining heart-healthy foods with bone-strengthening activities, you can support both systems simultaneously,\u201d Higgins advised.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Share on PinterestPeople in their 60s with \u2018prudent\u2019 dietary habits and who engaged in regular physical activity were&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":17688,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[1152,372,105,302,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-17687","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health","8":"tag-aging","9":"tag-diet","10":"tag-health","11":"tag-heart-disease","12":"tag-uk","13":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114333120611968649","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17687","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17687"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17687\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17688"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17687"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17687"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17687"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}