Weight-bearing Exercise Important for Men

When we think of osteoporosis, we always think of women getting osteoporosis. As men age they also lose bone. Without intervention, one in five men develop fractures related to osteoporosis in old age. Both men and women need to build bone while they're young. A study in the May issue of the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research found that men who did weight-bearing exercise for four hours per week in their 20s could be protected from osteoporosis-related fractures later in life. 833 men who were 18-20 years old at the start of the study were followed for 5 years. Those who participated in load-bearing sports for four hours a week or more showed an increase in hip bone density of 1.3%. Men who remained sedentary during the five year study lost about 2.1% of bone mass in the hip. This should be a wake-up call for couch potatoes.