Bone Loss, Fracture, Vitamin D and Vegetarianism
Vitasearch 
Lan T. Ho-Pham, MD
Department of Internal Medicine
Pham Ngoc Thach University of Medicine
520 Thanh Thai Street, District 10
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
(84-8) 38652435 / (84-8) 38650025 (FAX)
thuclanhopham@pnt.edu.vn
"Vegetarianism, Bone Loss, Fracture and Vitamin D:
A Longitudinal Study in Asian Vegans and Non-Vegans,"
Eur J Clin Nutr, 2011 Aug 3; [Epub ahead of print]. 48956 (1/2012)
Kirk Hamilton: Can you please share with us your educational background and current
position?
Lan T. Ho-Pham: I am a medical doctor with specialist training in rheumatology. I graduated with
an MD from the University of Medicine and Pharmacy – Ho Chi Minh City, and then subsequently
became a residence medical officer in 1987. Currently I head the Department of Rheumatology of the
People’s Hospital 115, Vietnam. This is a major hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, with more than 1600
beds. I am also a deputy head of the Department of Internal Medicine, Pham Ngoc Thach University of
Medicine, Vietnam. My research interests are in osteoporotic fracture and bone metabolism.
KH: What got you interested in studying bone health in veganism versus omnivores?
LTHP:The vegetarian diet is an important element of Vietnamese cuisine, and veganism is the central
component of Buddhist lifestyle. There are several lines of evidence suggesting that vegetarianism and
veganism have beneficial effect on health. However, there have been no systematic studies on the
possible link between veganism and bone health in Vietnam. Moreover, I considered that a
comparative study of bone parameters between vegans and non-vegans is a good model for examining
the effect of vegetable protein on bone health. That is a main underlying reason of our research project.
KH: What might be the hypothesized benefits of veganism on bone health?
LTHP:I hypothesized that veganism has positive effect on bone health. More specifically, based on
previous data, I would predict that vegans have similar bone mineral density and fracture risk as nonvegans.
Our study was designed to test that hypothesis.
KH: What might be the hypothesized adverse consequences of veganism on bone health?
LTHP:My previous study (published in Osteoporosis International) showed that there was no
significant difference in bone mineral density between vegans and omnivores. However, in a
subsequent meta-analysis where I combined data from several groups around the world, I found that
vegans on average have lower bone mineral density than non-vegans. Thus, I hypothesized that vegans
may have higher rates of bone loss than non-vegans. Moreover, because vegans’ diets are based on
vegetables, they may have low dietary calcium.
