Young women need exercise to build strong bones

"Even in young women, physical activity is crucial to maintaining healthy bones, a Finnish study shows. Dr. Essi Rautava and colleagues at the Turku University General Hospital in Turku, Finland, examined the role of physical activity and the impact of a reduction in that activity on bones in adolescent girls.

The researchers then looked at how changes in physical activity affected bone health. They found that girls whose exercise habits remained the same during the final four years of the study had significantly higher bone mineral content at the hips and lower back compared with girls who decreased their activity level by at least half during this period."

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Joe Moore
IHRSA

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Young women need exercise to build strong bones
Less active teens see smaller gains in bone mineral content in hip and spine

Even in young women, physical activity is crucial to maintaining healthy bones, a Finnish study shows.

Dr. Essi Rautava and colleagues at the Turku University General Hospital in Turku, Finland, examined the role of physical activity and the impact of a reduction in that activity on bones in adolescent girls.

They followed a group of 142 girls for seven years, recording height, weight and physical activity. The average age of the girls at the beginning of the study was 13 years.

The girls were divided into three groups based on their level of physical activity during the study. Throughout the seven years, the most active girls gained more bone mineral content at their hips and lower back than girls in the two lower-activity groups.

The researchers then looked at how changes in physical activity affected bone health. They found that girls whose exercise habits remained the same during the final four years of the study had significantly higher bone mineral content at the hips and lower back compared with girls who decreased their activity level by at least half during this period.

The results indicate a link between reduced physical activity and rapid decline in bone mineral content, even in very young women.

Building strong bones in childhood and young adulthood helps reduce the risk of suffering fractures due to osteoporosis, or brittle bones, later in life.

With files from The Medical Post.