Physical Activity as a Youth May Reduce Fracture Risk

Higher test scores. Weight loss. Improved sleep.

It seems physical activity for youth now has another health benefit: reducing the risk for fracture in old age.

That’s what researchers from Sweden found when they studied children ages 7 to 9 over a six-year span. They compared two groups of children. One group exercised daily for 40 minutes. The other group exercised for 60 minutes over a week-long period.They found that those who had daily physical activity had higher increases in spine bone mineral density.

“According to our study, exercise interventions in childhood may be associated with lower fracture risks as people age, due to the increases in peak bone mass that occurs in growing children who perform regular physical activity,” said lead author Dr. Bjorn Rosengren, of Skane University Hospital in Malmo, Sweden, in a news release. Rosengren and his colleagues presented their work at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine’s Specialty Day in Chicago.

While the researchers were conducting their research on children, they also examined the fracture rates and bone density loss of former male athletes. The researchers determined that the former athletes had minimal bone mass density losses.

“Increased activity in the younger ages helped induce higher bone mass and improve skeletal size in girls without increasing the fracture risk,” Rosengren said in the news release. “Our study highlights yet another reason why kids need to get regular daily exercise to improve their health both now and in the future.”

Source: American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine news release

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