​Hip and non-vertebral osteoporotic fractures are less likely to occur in individuals who are habitual consumers of foods loaded with carotenoids, especially lycopene.

This study examined carotenoid intake in relation to the occurrence of hip and non-vertebral osteoporotic fracture. A team of researchers from Tuft University, US monitored the total and individual carotenoid intakes of 946 men and women recruited from the Framingham Osteoporosis cohort with a mean age of 70 years.​and tracked the hip and non vertebral osteoporotic fracture incidence rates in the study population for 17 years.

The research team observed that high total carotenoid intake diminished hip fracture risk only and frequent consumption of lycopene-rich foods reduced the odds of suffering from both hip and non-vertebra osteoporotic fractures. Conversely, high dietary ingestion of foods rich in lutein, zeaxanthin, alpha-carotene, and beta-cryptoxanthin was found to have no appreciable effect on hip and non-vertebral osteoporotic fracture risk in this study. Data from this study indicate that increased consumption of carotenoids, particularly lycopene, can substantially reduce an individual's susceptibility to hip and non-vertebra osteoporotic fractures.