Early Activity Alone Won't Put Bone in the Bank
Early Activity Alone Won't Put Bone in the Bank
Feb. 7, 2000 (Atlanta) -- When it comes to bone strength, aging male athletes lose their advantage if they become inactive. In a study of former soccer players in Malmo, Sweden, researchers discovered rapid loss of bone mineral density (BMD), a measure of bone health, the longer the length of their retirement. The study appears in this week's journal The Lancet.
"We found former soccer players have no higher bone mass or fewer fractures than control subjects [used for comparison] 30-40 years after cessation of their active careers," Magnus Karlsson, MD, tells WebMD. Karlsson is an associate professor in the department of orthopaedics at University Hospital in Malmo, Sweden.
Bone mass density reflects the strength of bone. The higher a person's BMD, the less likely they will fracture a bone during daily activity. Regular exercise and good nutrition help to increase and maintain BMD. Because of the level of their exercise, athletes tend to have high BMDs.
Karlsson and colleagues studied over 125 former soccer players with an average age of 64. They were compared with nearly the same amount of nonsoccer players matched for age, and 32 active soccer players. The active players reported that they trained an average of 12 hours per week for 5 years. On average, the former soccer players trained 8 hours per week for 11 years but had been retired for 33 years. Of the former players, just over half never exercised, about 20% exercised no more than 2 hours per week, while the remainder exercised between 3 and 10 hours per week. The exercise amounts by the comparison group nearly mirrored the former athletes.
Each subject was tested for BMD and bone fractures by a specialized X-ray. Researchers discovered the BMD levels in the legs of current soccer players was more than 11% higher than all the rest of the test subjects. Those retired for 5 years had BMD levels about 1% lower then the current athletes. From that point, the former athlete's BMD levels dropped at a much faster rate the longer they were inactive. By the time they had been retired for 35 years, they had no greater BMD than those who never played.
Early Activity Alone Won't Put Bone in the Bank
Feb. 7, 2000 (Atlanta) -- When it comes to bone strength, aging male athletes lose their advantage if they become inactive. In a study of former soccer players in Malmo, Sweden, researchers discovered rapid loss of bone mineral density (BMD), a measure of bone health, the longer the length of their retirement. The study appears in this week's journal The Lancet.
"We found former soccer players have no higher bone mass or fewer fractures than control subjects [used for comparison] 30-40 years after cessation of their active careers," Magnus Karlsson, MD, tells WebMD. Karlsson is an associate professor in the department of orthopaedics at University Hospital in Malmo, Sweden.
Bone mass density reflects the strength of bone. The higher a person's BMD, the less likely they will fracture a bone during daily activity. Regular exercise and good nutrition help to increase and maintain BMD. Because of the level of their exercise, athletes tend to have high BMDs.
Karlsson and colleagues studied over 125 former soccer players with an average age of 64. They were compared with nearly the same amount of nonsoccer players matched for age, and 32 active soccer players. The active players reported that they trained an average of 12 hours per week for 5 years. On average, the former soccer players trained 8 hours per week for 11 years but had been retired for 33 years. Of the former players, just over half never exercised, about 20% exercised no more than 2 hours per week, while the remainder exercised between 3 and 10 hours per week. The exercise amounts by the comparison group nearly mirrored the former athletes.
Each subject was tested for BMD and bone fractures by a specialized X-ray. Researchers discovered the BMD levels in the legs of current soccer players was more than 11% higher than all the rest of the test subjects. Those retired for 5 years had BMD levels about 1% lower then the current athletes. From that point, the former athlete's BMD levels dropped at a much faster rate the longer they were inactive. By the time they had been retired for 35 years, they had no greater BMD than those who never played.
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