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Exercise in early twenties may lower risk of osteoporosis, study finds

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Physical exercise in the early twenties improves bone development and may reduce the risk of fractures later in life, according to a study of more than 800 Swedish men.

While previous research has shown that exercise before and during puberty is important for bone development, a University of Gothenburg news release noted, the current findings indicate exercise in the early twenties can also aid bone growth and counter the risk of fractures later in life.

The research, conducted by Mattias Lorentzon, MD, PhD, and colleagues of the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, was published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research.

According to the abstract, 1,068 young men enrolled in the Gothenburg Osteoporosis and Obesity Determinants study were invited to participate in the study, with 833 men with an average age of 24.1 years included in the 5-year follow-up. The researchers reportedly used a self-administered questionnaire to determine each participants’ physical activity patterns at the baseline and 5-year marks, and assessed their bone mineral content (BMC), areal bone mineral density (aBMD) and volumetric bone mineral density (vBMD).

The researchers, according to the study abstract, found an association between increased physical activity to be associated with favorable developments in total body BMC, lumbar spine and total hip aBMD, improvement in larger cortex development and density of trabecular bone in the tibia.

“The men who increased or maintained high levels of physical activity also developed larger and thicker bones in their lower arms and legs,” Lorentzon stated in the release. “These findings suggest that maintaining or, ideally, increasing physical activity can improve bone growth in our youth, which probably reduces the risk of fractures later on.”

Reference:

• Nilsson M, Ohlsson C, Oden A, et al. Increased physical activity is associated with enhanced development of peak bone mass in men: A five year longitudinal study. J Bone Miner Res. 2012. doi: 10.1002/jbmr.1549.

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