(14-09-06) Athletic Training in the Teen Years Builds Bones For

Men who participate in athletic sports in their late
teens gain stronger bones, a benefit that can persist
long after they stop exercising intensively. This is
because exercise has the greatest effect on bone
mineral density during childhood and puberty.

Researchers tracked the bone health of 63 athletes
and 27 non-athletes, from when they were an
average age of 17 until they were an average age of
25.

The athletic group, composed of hockey and
badminton players, actively trained for nine hours
every week, and had generally been doing so for
about a decade. Their workouts included weight
training, playing soccer and long-distance running.

Over the course of the study, 40 athletes stopped
their training and, consequently, their average bone
mineral density (BMD) fell dramatically.

Nevertheless, the group that was athletically active
at the outset of the study had better BMD numbers -
- no matter if they continued exercising or didn't --
than the non-athletic group, particularly in their hips,
where debilitating fractures often occur. The
researchers estimated that the young athletes cut
their risk of future fractures in half by being active.

Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism
July 2006; 91(7): 2600-2604 Free PDF Report
Yahoo News August 3, 2006

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