Here's an Easy Way to Lower Your Risk of Osteoporosis
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Research links regular exercise to better bone density.
Scientists found that people who were more sedentary were less likely to have good bone density.
Doctors generally recommend a specific exercise to improve bone density.
It’s an unfortunate side effect of getting older: Your bones become less dense. That puts you at risk of developing osteoporosis, a condition that causes bones to become brittle and more likely to break.
Osteoporosis impacts almost 20% of women and 5% of men ages 50 and up, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, making it a concern for many. Now, a study suggests that working out regularly can help with bone health.
The study, which was published in the journal Nature Scientific Reports, analyzed data from 9,787 Americans aged 20 to 59 years who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2011 to 2018. The researchers looked at factors like bone mineral density and body fat percentage, along with how often people were sedentary and physical.
The researchers found that people who had more sedentary lives were less likely to have good bone density in their lower back and more likely to have a higher body fat percentage. But those who were more active were more likely to have better bone density and a lower body fat percentage.
“Our results show that physical activity is a key component of maintaining bone health in both men and women and is strongly associated with lower body fat percentages,” the researchers wrote. “Healthcare policy makers should consider reducing sedentary activity and increasing physical activity when preventing osteoporosis and obesity.”
But why might working out regularly promote good bone density? Experts explain.
Why can exercise help with bone density?
The researchers didn’t explore why exercise may help with bone density—they just found a link. However, this isn’t the first time working out regularly has been linked with good bone density.
“This study confirms what we know about exercise and bone density,” says Alfred Tallia, M.D., M.P.H., professor and chair in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. “Thinning of bone density is called osteoporosis and is responsible for fractures of the hip and spine whose consequences can take years off of a person’s life expectancy. We normally lose bone density as we age.”
The way exercise can help with bone density is slightly complicated but, on a basic level, the physical stress that your bones experience when you exercise stimulates your bones to remodel with extra deposits of calcium and bone-forming cells. This ends up creating stronger and denser bones.
Your body reabsorbs old bone and creates new bone during your life and, as long as your body has a good balance of old and new bone, your bones stay healthy and strong, the U.S. National Library of Medicine explains.
What is bone density, exactly?
“Bone density describes the quality of your bone,” says Omar Atassi, M.D., assistant professor of orthopedic surgery at Baylor College of Medicine. “When we are in our 20s, most of us have normal bone density. As we naturally age, bone gradually loses its strength and becomes more porous.” Dr. Atassi compares healthy bones to a wood 4x4. “As we age, our bone can gradually become very porous and weak, like dry wall,” he says. “Just like when you are hanging up a heavy picture, you strive to put a nail in the stud instead of the dry wall because the dry wall will have trouble holding up a heavy picture.” If your bone density becomes critically low, your bones will have trouble holding up against the occasional fall or bump, he says. “When we were studs, the simple fall would result in a bruised ego, but when we are dry wall, our bones can break,” he says.
How to promote good bone density
Getting plenty of calcium and vitamin D, can help promote good bone health, the U.S. National Library of Medicine says. But certain habits aren’t great for your bones. “Drinking increases the risk of osteoporosis,” says William Buxton, M.D., director of Neuromuscular and Neurodiagnostic Medicine and of Fall Prevention at Pacific Neuroscience Institute at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, California. (Worth noting: Smoking does too.)
Exercise “combined with nutritional diet with adequate amounts of calcium—dairy and green leafy vegetables like spinach—and vitamin D, keeps the risk of fracture at bay,” Dr. Tallia says.
You can also talk to your doctor about taking medications to strengthen your bones and avoid medications that can make your bones weaker, the CDC says.
What kind of exercises can help bone density?
All exercise is good for your overall health, but certain ones are considered better for lowering your risk of poor bone density and osteoporosis. “One of the best ways to maintain bone health and prevent osteoporosis is engaging in weight-bearing exercises,” Dr. Buxton says.
Dr. Tallia emphasizes that activities like walking, gardening, climbing stairs, and dancing that put some stress on your bones “helps prevent falls and helps keep bone density loss at a minimum.”
If you’re concerned about your bone density or if you have a family history of osteoporosis, talk to your primary care physician. They may recommend that you have an X-ray known as a dual/energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) to scan your bones and see where you’re at. From there, they can offer personalized recommendations to help with your bone density.
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