Want to live longer? Eat this

Yogurt lovers, here’s one more reason to grab your spoon and dig in: A recent study says eating a good amount of fermented milk products, like yogurt, in combination with healthy servings of fruits and vegetables every day, can lower your likelihood of fracturing a hip.

Hip fractures are often life-changing events. And in postmenopausal women, hip fractures can be deadly.

Women over 65 years old are five times more likely to die from any cause, following a hip fracture, compared to uninjured women in this age group.

Another study shows that older women have a doubled risk of death within a 12-month period following a hip fracture.

However, “Hip fractures do not have to be part of the aging process,” says Dr. Estella Martinez, a family medicine physician at Advocate Trinity Hospital in Chicago.

“While we can’t change genetics, we can make certain lifestyle choices that can slow down loss of bone mass. Eating a healthy diet is one of them.”

After studying 38,071 Swedish women, researchers found the best recipe for avoiding hip fractures is a daily diet that includes two or more servings of fermented milk plus five or more servings of fruits and vegetables.

“Many people associate hip fractures with older age, but osteoporosis and loss of bone usually happen over time. The foods you eat and your physical activity levels at every age can have significant impact on your mobility later in life,” Dr. Martinez says.

Striking the right balance between fermented milk and produce is important, the study concludes. Women whose daily diets combined less than a glass of milk with five or more servings of fruits and vegetables fared no better than women who combined at least three glasses of milk with less than two servings of fruits and vegetables.

Many of the 300,000 U.S. women who, in an average year, will experience hip fractures have osteoporosis.

Dr. Martinez says it’s never too early to start thinking about the health of your bones and joints.

In addition to a calcium-rich diet, she recommends regular exercise such as walking, and bone density testing for women who are at risk for osteoporosis or have experienced a hip fracture in the past.