No more so than a hammer promotes broken fingers when you use it to smash them. Vibram probably should have been more careful in its marketing, but ultimately, it wasn't the shoes causing those stress fractures, it was runners doing too much too soon in them.
Interesting findings. I've heard it before but hadn't seen the study.
Personally, I found that I have less pain in my shins and knees wearing minimalist footwear than I did wearing various other kinds. I only run 400-500 miles per year and rarely longer than 10 miles, most are 4-6 mile jogs, and I only do one long run per week. I do several other activities for exercise. Maybe it's a matter of intensity.
