Want Strong Bones? Exercise More Important Than Calcium
“Drink your milk! It’s good for your bones!” How many times have you heard that growing up? That’s because over hundreds of years, it was thought that calcium intake significantly controlled how strong your bones were. This caused the Atlanta Journal Constitution to do a study on the matter. Their study showed that, in fact, exercise is more important than calcium intake when it comes to developing strong bones in girls as well as young women. Similar studies by Penn State University and Johns Hopkins University proved that even when girls and young women took in little to no calcium (according to a daily allowance) their bone strength was not severely affected in any way. Their bone strength however, was greatly affected by their exercising habits.
According to the Penn State Young Women’s Health Study that tracked the cardiovascular and reproductive bone health of 112 12 year old girls, “When we looked at their lean mass, we saw that 1 kilogram increase in lean mass was associated with a 2.5% increase in their bone strength.”
Although this study was significantly commended for its detailed research into bone strength and exercise correlation, it doesn’t mean that calcium is not still a significant factor for everybody. In fact, many experts say that children should still choose milk over sodas or other unhealthy beverages (even if they have a strong workout regimen). The bottom line is that if you are looking to continue on a healthy path and have good bone strength, nutrition and resistance exercise is extremely important.
