Urinary hormonal concentrations and spinal bone densities of premenopausal vegetarian and nonvegetarian women.

We evaluated the relationships among nutrition, hormone concentrations, and bone density of the spine in 27 vegetarian and 37 nonvegetarian premenopausal women. The two groups were indistinguishable with respect to age, height, weight, menarche, years of formal education, and medical histories. The frequency of menstrual irregularity was significantly higher in the vegetarian group. The bone densities of the vegetarians and the nonvegetarians were not significantly different. Caffeine intake in both groups had a positive effect on urinary calcium excretion, but no association was observed between bone density and caffeine intake. Total fat, monosaturated fat, and oleic acid intake were positively associated with luteinizing hormone concentrations of the vegetarians only. Overall, the differences in dietary practices of these premenopausal vegetarian and nonvegetarian women did not appear to have major effects on bone biology or reproductive history.