Benefits of physical activity go beyond improving cardiovascular health. Weight-bearing physical activity improves muscular strength and prevents loss of bone mineral. All populations, from the adolescent to the elderly, improve bone health by being physically active. To reap maximal benefit, your activity program need not be strenuous but simply consistent.
Significance
According to researchers from the School of Kinetics, physical activity has the greatest effect on improving bone mineral density. Individuals engaged in regular physical activity also decrease fracture risk. In postmenopausal women, physical activity also prevents osteoporosis.
Function
Weight-bearing physical activity assists in the formation of new bone tissue, which makes bones stronger. Weight-bearing physical activity also makes muscles stronger. During muscle strengthening activity, the muscles pull and push on bones; as a result both bones and muscles become stronger.
Types of Activity
Weight-bearing physical activity is best to improve bone health. According to researchers at the University of Georgia, high load activities such as resistance training provide the best improvement in bone mineral density. Resistance training can be anything from the use of fitness machines, dumbbells and resistance tubing to the use of your own body weight.
Activities such as walking and running, considered cardiovascular exercise, also are beneficial in improving bone mineral density because the body has to support its own weight during these activities. The benefits of walking and running increase when the activity is performed at higher intensities. Physical activity with the goal of improving muscle strength, endurance and balance also reduces incidence of falls and thus fractures.
Considerations
In addition to physical activity, supplementation of calcium and vitamin D improve bone mineral density. Supplementing 1,000 mg of calcium daily reduces bone loss in premenopausal and postmenopausal women, according to University of Georgia researchers. Vitamin D supplementation slows bone loss and reduces fracture risk in elderly women.
Warning
The loss of bone mineral density and risk of developing osteoporosis affects both men and women. According to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, more than 2 million men over age 50 are affected every year by osteoporosis. Both men and women benefit from regular physical activity, avoidance of smoking and adequate calcium intake.
