Turns out, participation in organised sports during childhood and adolescence can have long-term benefits for bone mass at 20 years of age.
A recent study, performed at Curtin University, followed 984 children into young adulthood. Males who were ‘consistent sport participators’ from ages 5-17 years had significantly greater whole body and leg bone mineral content at age 20 years than those who dropped out of sport, whereas males who ‘joined sports’ had significantly greater leg bone mineral content than those who dropped out of sports.
On the other hand, females who were ‘consistent sports participators’ had significantly greater leg bone mineral content at 20 years of age than those who dropped out.
The study is published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research.
“Targeted messages to young males and females that discourage dropping out of the sports and encourage joining sports–even in adolescence–are important for the benefits of skeletal health,” said lead author Dr. Joanne McVeigh.
Because attainment of optimal peak bone mass in young adulthood is protective against osteoporosis later in life, participation in organised sports may have long-term skeletal benefits.
Nutrition is important
Meanwhile, looking at mineral supplementation and exercise in mice, researchers have found that nutrition has a greater impact on bone mass and strength than exercise.
In the study, even after the exercise training stopped, the mice retained bone strength gains as long as they ate a mineral-supplemented diet, Xinhua reported.
“The longer-term mineral-supplemented diet leads to not only increases in bone mass and strength, but the ability to maintain those increases even after detraining,” said David Kohn, Professor at University of Michigan in the US.
The second important finding is that the diet alone has beneficial effects on bone, even without exercising.
“The data suggests the long-term consumption of the mineral-supplemented diet could be beneficial in preventing the loss of bone and strength with age, even if you don’t do exercise training,” Kohn said.
While most studies look at effects of increasing dietary calcium, the new study, published in the journal PLOS One, looked at effects of increased dietary calcium and phosphorous, and found benefits to increasing both.
This is not to suggest that people run out and buy calcium and phosphorus supplements, Kohn said.
Though the findings do not translate directly from mice to humans, they do give researchers a conceptual place to start, the team noted. (Agencies)
