How Exercise Prevents Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a disease of the bones that affects both men and women. Postmenopausal people have lower levels of the hormone estrogen, which helps protect from bone loss. In osteoporosis, the bones become brittle and weak and have a greater risk of fracture.

Exercise Helps Prevent Osteoporosis

Weight-bearing or load-bearing exercise helps keep bones strong by causing the muscles and tendons to pull on the bones, which in turn stimulates bone cells to produce more bone. The load on the bones can be created by your own body weight, as in running or jogging, or by external weights like dumbbells or gym machines in a weight-training program.

Some experts suggest that the best exercise for bone health may not only be weight bearing but also high impact. This means placing a high level of impact on muscles and bones, as occurs when your foot hits the ground while running or you lift a weight suddenly. Naturally, you have to ensure you do such exercise safely.

One measure of the health of bones is bone mineral density (BMD). A bone density test such as the dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scan is used to assess BMD and is a relatively simple procedure.

Best Types of Exercise

While weight-bearing exercise is best for strengthening bones and improving balance to prevent falls, other exercise benefits osteoporosis and include.

• Aerobics: Step, dance, and pump aerobics
• Weightlifting: Dumbbells, barbells, machines, and body weight exercises
• Running and jogging
• Walking (less effective than running or jogging)

The least effective exercises for bones are:

• Swimming or water aerobics
• Cycling
• Other minimal weight-bearing exercise activities

Keep in mind that running or leg-based exercise acts mainly on the lower body. And although much of the disabling effect of bone loss is felt in the hips and spine, exercising the upper body with weight-bearing exercise is of equal importance. As people age, broken wrists and arms from falls are not uncommon, so strengthening the muscles and bones in these areas can help prevent breaks.

Consider this note of caution about endurance exercise such as marathons, cross country, triathlons, and other extreme exercise regimens: Extremes of exercise, mainly aerobic exercise, can negatively affect bone density in women. It does this by interfering with estrogen production, which contributes to bone loss in women after menopause.

For premenopausal heavy exercisers and athletes, cessation of menstrual periods or having irregular periods is a warning sign. Bone loss, disordered eating, and abnormal periods are referred to as the female athlete triad. This can be prevented if you follow an appropriate training program and pay careful attention to your diet and nutrition. Advice from a qualified sports nutritionist is worthwhile.

Nutrition and Exercise for Healthy Bones in Childhood and Adolescence

Much of the reserve of healthy bone is built in your youth and before the age of 30. Women may be more susceptible to an inadequate foundation at this time than men. Sufficient calcium intake, a balanced diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables, and load-bearing exercises are the keys to solid bone growth when you’re young.

Then, with continued exercise into old age—for both men and women—bone density decline can be minimized. Although women are the main focus of osteoporosis and low bone density (osteopenia) information, men can benefit from being informed, too, as some men are also seriously afflicted by this condition.

Even if you take all the right measures while growing up and into adulthood, your genes may affect your susceptibility to osteoporosis. This is even greater reason to alter your lifestyle to prevent poor bone health.

Bone Loss During Dieting and Weight Loss

Some investigations show that when you lose weight, bone density is also reduced. However, this may be preventable if you do weight-bearing exercise and ensure that you take in the recommended amount of dietary calcium while slimming down. How much bone you lose will depend on whether you are male or female and premenopausal or postmenopausal.

Postmenopausal women who lose weight with diet only and not exercise and who do not consume adequate dietary calcium are the most at risk during weight loss.

Osteoporosis Doctor Discussion Guide

Get our printable guide for your next doctor's appointment to help you ask the right questions.

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