Osteoporosis Less Likely in Men Who Jog
Researchers report in the July 2001 issue of American Journal of Public
Health that men in their 30s
who jog at least nine times a month develop a bone density that is at
least 5 percent higher than that of men who jog less. The study
analyzed answers to questions in a health survey of 4,254 men, including
954 joggers and 3,300 who did not jog. The study included results of hip
bone X-rays taken of each of the men to determine bone density. The
researchers compared the findings from joggers with results from
non-joggers.
Dr. Michael E. Mussolino, a researcher at the National Center for
Health Statistics, part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
office in Hyattesville, Md. said the results showed, "The men who
were jogging nine times a month were doing much better than those who were
jogging only one to eight times a month,'' said Mussolino. ``Even those
who jogged eight or fewer times a month had a higher bone density than
those who did not jog at all." He also stated that the study shows
that it does not require marathon-like running to build strong bones.
"This shows that just a casual frequency of jogging is
beneficial."
The National Institutes of Health estimates that about 10 million
Americans now have osteoporosis and another 18 million are at risk of the
disease due to low bone density. Eighty percent of these people are women.
It is estimated that one out of every two women and one in eight men will
break a bone as the result of osteoporosis within their lifetime. The
report states that building dense strong bones in young adulthood is
considered by experts to be an important hedge against osteoporosis, the
brittle bone disease that generally develops in later years.
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