Fitness and Bone Health

Everyone knows that regular exercise improves your health and helps you feel good. But did you know that exercise also can help build strong bones?

What kind of exercise strengthens bones?

An exercise must be weight-bearing or strength-training in nature to benefit bone health. Weight-bearing exercises/activities include baseball, basketball, soccer, tennis, weight-lifting, aerobics, dancing, and walking. Although swimming is good exercise, it is not a weight-bearing activity.

The benefits of weight-bearing exercise are site-specific. This means that you strengthen only the bones used directly in the exercise. Therefore, it's a good idea to participate in a variety of weight-bearing exercises. To maintain the bone-building benefits, exercise should be continued on a regular basis.

Why does weight-bearing exercise benefit bones?

Weight-bearing activities improve bone health for many reasons. First, weight-bearing exercise appears to stimulate bone formation. Second, it strengthens muscles that in turn pull or tug on bones. This action keeps bones strong. And third, physical activity improves your strength, balance, and coordination--all of which help reduce your risk of falls and bone injuries.

What about exercise when I'm older?

Weight-bearing activities at any age benefit bone health. Studies link physical activity with increased bone strength in children, teens, men and women, and even adults 90 years of age and older.

What if I exercise a lot?

Too much exercise decreases hormones that are needed for good bone health. If a woman exercises to the point where she stops menstruating, she may actually increase her risk of the bone-crippling disease osteoporosis.

What is osteoporosis?

Osteoporosis is a bone-weakening disease that develops gradually and makes bones so fragile that they fracture with regular use.

Roughly 25 million Americans, mostly women, suffer from this disease. Nearly one-half of all women over age 50 suffer bone fractures due to osteoporosis. And, although osteoporosis afflicts more women than men, 5 million men in the U.S. have osteoporosis.

People often don't realize they have osteoporosis until a bone fractures because this disease progresses so slowly. Once a bone fractures, osteoporosis is often extremely painful and crippling.

What can I do to help prevent osteoporosis?

Nutrition (especially calcium intake), lifestyle (including exercise), and hormones (estrogen) are three factors that affect bone health. Exercise and dietary habits throughout your life influence your risk of developing this disease.

Will exercise alone protect my bones?

Weight-bearing exercise alone is not enough to protect you from osteoporosis. Even if you do weight-bearing exercise regularly, failing to eat enough calcium-rich foods will weaken your bones.

Scientists agree that good nutrition can reduce the likelihood of osteoporosis by as much as one-half. Many Americans today don't consume enough calcium. Fortunately, it's never too late to improve your bone health by consuming enough calcium-rich foods.

What foods provide calcium?

Dairy foods provide 75 percent of the calcium in the U.S. food supply. Milk, cheese, and yogurt are especially good sources of calcium. Vitamin D-fortified milk is also a good source of vitamin D--which helps the body use calcium. Broccoli, kale, and salmon with the bones are additional sources of calcium.

Pineapple Raspberry Eye-Opener

1 1/2 cups lowfat milk
1 cup frozen unsweetened raspberries
1 can (8 ounces) crushed pineapple in juice, drained
1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt
3 tablespoons honey
1/4 teaspoon almond extract

Combine all ingredients in blender container; cover. Blend until smooth and frothy. Serve immediately in tall chilled glasses.

Yield:3 cups. Serving size:1 cup; calories per serving 221; fat 2 grams; cholesterol 6 milligrams; calcium 321 milligrams.

What about calcium supplements?

People who fail to eat enough calcium often consume low levels of other nutrients important for good bone health (such as vitamin D). Unlike supplements, foods provide the other nutrients that your bones need to stay healthy. This is why a calcium supplement won't fix a diet low in calcium. Check with your doctor or dietitian if you think you may need nutrition counseling.

Eating a healthful diet, with a particular emphasis on calcium, provides the foundation for strong bones. Also remember weight-bearing exercise provides additional benefits for bones.

National Osteoporosis Foundation Call 800/223-9994. ~ National Dairy Council To locate an office or order materials, call 800/426-8271. This fact sheet is supported by a grant from National Dairy Council.