Jong veel bewegen geeft sterke botten later*
Uit een Zweedse studie blijkt dat als tijdens de groei veel bewogen wordt dit sterke botten geeft tijdens de rest van je leven. Bij onderzoek onder ruim 2.300 18-jarige bleek de botdichtheid bij zij die regelmatig hadden gesport duidelijk groter als bij zij die voorheen niet gesport hadden. Bij onderzoek onder 360 19-jarige die vroeger wel gesport hadden doch de laatste zes jaar niet meer bleek dat ook zij een duidelijk grotere botheid hadden in het onderbeen dan zij die nooit gesport hadden. Bij onderzoek onder 500 75-jarige, die ergens tussen 10 en 30 jaar drie of meer keer per week aan sport gedaan hadden bleken op verschillende plaatsen in het lichaam duidelijk een grotere botdichtheid te hebben dan zij die nooit gesport hadden.
Those Who Exercise When Young Have Stronger Bones When They Grow Old
The positive effects of exercise while growing up seem to last longer than previously believed. New findings suggest that physical activity when young increases bone density and size, which may mean a reduced risk of osteoporosis later in life, reveals a thesis from the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.
For the thesis, around 3,200 men had their bones examined and their exercise habits mapped. Of these, just over 2,300 18-year-olds were selected at random to have their heel bone examined by the researchers. The heel bone is particularly useful to study as it is directly impacted by exercise, being loaded with the full weight of the body.
"In this group, we found that those who actively did sports, and also those who used to do sports, had greater bone density than those who had never done sports," explains Martin Nilsson, physiotherapist and doctoral student at the Institute of
Medicine.
The researchers also looked at bone density and structure in the lower leg in around 360 19-year-old men who had previously done sports but had now stopped training. They found that men who had stopped training more than six years ago still had larger and thicker bones in the lower leg than those who had never done sports.
"This result is particularly important, because we know that a bone with a large circumference is more durable and resistant to fractures than a narrower bone," says
Nilsson.
The researchers also studied bone density throughout the body in around 500 randomly selected 75-year-old men. Those who had done competitive sports three or more times a week at some point between the ages of 10 and 30 had higher bone density in several parts of the body than those who had
not.
The researchers have therefore established that there is a positive link between exercise while young and bone density and size. The connection is even stronger if account is taken of the type of sports
done.
"The bones respond best when you're young, and if you train and load them with your own bodyweight during these years, it has a stimulating effect on their development," says Nilsson. "This may be important for bone strength much later in life too, so reducing the risk of brittle bones."
Source: University of Gothenburg (Juli 2010)
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