Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have completed a study on the effect of a raw food vegetarian diet on bones. Doctor Luigi Fontana led the study, which looked at 18 strict raw food vegans between the ages of 33 and 85. He says there is a link between a raw food vegan diet and low bone mass. But, when compared to others who eat what can best be described as a normal American diet – meat, cheese, grains, sweets, and so on – the vegans were lighter with lower body fat, had higher-than-normal vitamin D. Fontana concludes that despite low bone mass, raw food dieters actually might have good bone quality and healthy bones. His advice: Extreme diets such as the raw vegetable menu – and the typical American diet, which is loaded with saturated fats – are not the most healthy eathing choices.