Teenage ball games strengthen bones in old age: Study

Japan, December 23: The natural urge to indulge in out-door games should be encouraged in teens, as it will reap rich benefits in later life.

According to a study in Japan, sprinting, running, jumping, playing ball, and other weight-bearing exercises stimulate and strengthen bones.

All these physical activities tend to support our weight and the bones react to the forces exerted on them by becoming stronger. The study conducted by researchers from Suzuka University of Medical Science, Japan examined women in the age group of 52-73 years who had gone through menopause. Bone loss is a natural process after the onset of menopause.

The study’s main focus was the development of osteoporosis that weakens bones, making them brittle. This in turn leads to fractures.

The Japanese researchers grouped 46 women participants into groups in accordance to the physical activities they had indulged in their teenage years. The first group was of those who did a lot of weight-bearing exercises. The second group was of those who had participated in non weight-bearing sports like swimming, and last one had no history of exercise in adolescence.

Besides analyzing their sporting history, the density and mineral content of their thigh and spine was also tested. The result of the study revealed that women who had played ball games had greater bone mineral content in the spine and thigh than those who had not. Also women who had played these games had a larger outer thigh bone area, enabling them to withstand fractures better.

Since none of the women were presently playing any games it was evident that the benefits of exercising in youth was bearing fruit in later years. Active role in sports in teenage was providing them extra protection in old age.

The researchers concluded that "In middle-aged women, weight-bearing exercise during growth affects bones, and these effects may be preserved as bone mineral content, geometric and structural advantages of bone strength even after 40 years.”

In Britain, nearly three million people are at a risk of developing osteoporosis. About 120,000 people endure fractures from spines and another 60,000 break their hips due to brittle bones. There are instances where the bones never heal and patients die from complications.

There is strong evidence that practically 50 percent women above 50 years and one in five men may undergo the experience of breaking bones as a consequence of osteoporosis. Unfortunately, most are unaware of the disease until it’s beyond repair, disclosed the National Osteoporosis Society.

The study was published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.