edited by katie barnes. email:
katiebarnes@leisuremedia.com research round-up
Exercising in your early 20s may reduce the risk of osteoporosis later in life, according to a study based on 800 Swedish men
bone builder T
he World Health Organization estimates that there are currently 200 million people suffering from osteoporosis
worldwide. The disease, which occurs as part of the ageing process, is characterised by the loss of calcium and other minerals from the bones, making them susceptible to fractures and breaks. While often thought of as a woman’s disease, osteoporosis can also develop in men, usually after the age of 65. Previous research has shown that
exercise before and during puberty is important for bone development. However, a new study from scientists at the University of Gothenburg’s Sahlgrenska Academy has now indicated that exercise in the early 20s can also aid bone growth and counter the risk of fractures later in life.
the study Based on 833 Swedish men, the five-year study was the largest and longest of its kind. At the start of the study, the participants – aged between 19 and 24 – had their bone mass measured in their hips, lumbar spine, arms and lower legs. Over the course of the fi ve years,
the study used a standardised, self- administered questionnaire to record information about participants’ patterns of physical activity – recording the type and frequency of activity. At the end of the study, participants returned to the lab to get their bones scanned again.
increasing bone mass The results, published in the Journal of Bone Density in January, showed that at the start, 529 subjects were physically active and 304 were sedentary. At the end, 531 were active and 302 sedentary.
Load-bearing activities were found to be the best at building bone mass Mattias Lorentzon and his colleagues
at Sahlgrenska Academy observed an association between increased physical activity and favourable developments in areas such as total body bone mineral content, plus lumbar spine and total hip areal bone mineral density. Lorentzon adds: “The men who increased or maintained high levels of physical activity also developed larger and thicker bones in their lower arms and legs... “Osteoporosis actually seems to start
by age 25, when bones start to lose tissue. This study sends an important message to young men: the more you move, the more bone you build.” For every hour of extra physical activity,
men gained bone mass. In comparison, men who remained sedentary over the fi ve years lost around 2.1 per cent of bone mass in the hip – the bone that is most likely to break in later life.
load-bearing activities Perhaps even more interesting was the fi nding that load-bearing sports such as basketball and volleyball, followed by soccer and tennis, seemed best at pushing the body to form new bone tissue: those who took part in such sports for four hours a week on average increased the bone density in their hips by 1.3 per cent. Activities that do not put an increased
load on the bones, like swimming and cycling, did not seem associated with the building of bigger bones or more bone mass, in spite of other health benefi ts. Study participants were all from
Sweden and mostly white, so Lorentzon feels the fi ndings are likely to be applicable to Caucasian men worldwide. Research on the impact of load-bearing exercise on bone density in ethnic groups and women was suggested as two areas that could be further explored.
*Nilsson M et al. Increased physical activity is associated with enhanced development of peak bond mass in men: a fi ve-year longitudinal study. JBMR. January 2012 82 Read Health Club Management online at
healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital june 2012 © cybertrek 2012
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