Vegans should hit the gym if they want healthy bones.
Vegans must pump iron if they want healthy bones
Research suggests that those who have a plant-based diet and do strength training may have stronger bones than those who do other forms of exercise - such as cycling or swimming.
A team from the Medical University of Vienna studied data from 43 men and women who have been vegan for at least five years and concluded that those who did resistance training such as using machines or free weights had stronger bones than those who did not.
A study conducted last year revealed that vegan children grow up shorter and have weaker bones than those who eat meat.
Christian Muschitz, one of the study's authors, said: "Veganism is a global trend with strongly increasing numbers of people worldwide adhering to a purely plant-based diet.
"Our study showed resistance training offsets diminished bone structure in vegan people when compared to omnivores.
"People who adhere to a vegan lifestyle should perform resistance training on a regular basis to preserve bone strength."