A new study published in the European Journal of Pediatrics investigated whether periodic avoidance of animal foods including dairy products since childhood affects stature or bone health in young adults. 

This cross-sectional study included 200 healthy men and women, aged 18-35 years, of whom 100 had been following religious fasting for a median of 14 years—starting at the age of 10 years, whereas the other 100 were non-fasters.

It was observed that those who practiced fasting did not differ from the non-fasters in anthropometric measures including height, bone mineral-density and content, the prevalence of low bone mineral density at any of the five sites measured, number of bone fractures or serum calcium or 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations. Additionally, fasters were found to have lower daily calcium and protein intakes, as well as lower dairy consumption than non-fasters. The two groups did not differ in physical activity. Meanwhile, fasters smoked less than non-fasters.

From the results, it was inferred that despite lower calcium intake and lower dairy product consumption, individuals adhering to religious fasting since childhood did not differ in height, bone mineral density and content nor in the prevalence of fractures, from controls. Therefore, periodic abstention from dairy and other animal products since childhood does not seem to compromise bone health in young adults.

In inference, it was stated that young adults with limited calcium intake and dairy product consumption – according to the fasting rules of the Christian Orthodox Church, since childhood, do not differ in height or indices of bone health from non-fasting controls.

Source: European Journal of Pediatrics. 2019 Dec 23. doi: 10.1007/s00431-019-03542-1