Thursday,
September 08, 2005
As people
reach old age, osteoporosis
is a major determining factor in quality of life. In Healing Moves, Dr. Mitchell and Carol
Krucoff write, "Age-related declines in muscle and bone mass … can lead to
frailty and fracture -- the primary reason older adults wind up in nursing homes." If you
don't want to spend your later years resting in a nursing home, losing your
independence and draining your or your family's financial resources, you need
to do something to remain independent. According to numerous studies and aging
manuals, that "something" is strength training, an activity known to
increase bone mass and thus decrease the possibility of osteoporosis.
Postmenopausal women are
especially prone to osteoporosis because they lack estrogen. Most women know this
and begin to take calcium supplements to ward off the debilitating disease.
Calcium supplements are important, but according to Kathy Keeton's book, Longevity, they are not enough. Not
only does your body need magnesium and other nutrients to assimilate calcium
into your bones, it also needs strength training to retain calcium. Keeton
quotes nutritional biochemist Dr. Neil S. Orenstein: "Without consideration
of these effects, no amount of calcium supplementation will prevent
osteoporosis."
Numerous studies
demonstrate strength training's ability to increase bone mass, especially
spinal bone mass. According to Keeton, a research study by
In Prescription Alternatives, Professor
Earl Mindell and Virginia Hopkins detail these findings: "In a recent
study on bone density and exercise, older women who did high-intensity weight training two days per
week for a year were able to increase their bone density by one percent, while
a control group of women who did not exercise had a bone density decrease of
1.8 to 2.5 percent. The women who exercised also had improved muscle strength
and better balance, while both decreased in the non-exercising group."
Increased bone density,
improved muscle strength, better balance -- these three things will
dramatically improve your later years and increase your longevity. Only these
health improvements can help prevent a bad fall, which is often a turning point
in an elderly person's life. One bad spill can result in a broken hip, an
injury that can lead to an elderly person's immobility and dependence on
others. Only strength training can provide these benefits, but what exactly
does "strength training" or "weight training" mean?
Strength
training does not mean that you have to train for the Olympics or tediously do
the same exercise over and over. According to Healing Moves, a variety of exercises will yield
bone-building benefits: "Physical impact and weight-bearing exercise
stimulates bone formation. Just as a muscle gets stronger and bigger the more
you use it, a bone becomes stronger and denser when you regularly place demands
upon it.
The best bone builders
are exercises that put force on the bone, such as weight-bearing activities
like running and resistance exercises like strength training. In general, the
greater the impact involved, the more it strengthens the bones." However,
it is important to distinguish the exercises that will increase bone density
from the ones that will not. "Weight lifting, including curls and bench
presses, is a beneficial activity … Dancing, stair-climbing and brisk walking
are all weight-bearing exercises, which promote (good) mechanical stress in the
skeletal system,
contributing to the placement of calcium in bones. Aerobic exercises such as
biking, rowing and swimming
do not strengthen the bones," writes Gary Null in Power Aging.
Now, aerobic exercise is
great for your cardiovascular system, so you still should do it along with
strength training. You don't have to devote a lot of time to strength training
to experience the benefits. Null believes that only 15 to 30 minutes of weight
training, two to three times per week, can provide you with the bone density
you need to prevent osteoporosis. Just make sure that you work all your
different muscle groups and allow a 24-hour lapse between sessions.
For best results, women
should start strength training long before menopause; however, women can
experience the benefits at any age. "A 1994 study published in the Journal
of the American Medical
Association revealed that women as old as 70 who lifted weights twice a
week for a year avoided the expected loss of bone and even increased their bone
density slightly," writes Robert Haas in Permanent Remissions. According to Dr. George Kessler's Bone Density Program, "One study
of people in their 80s and 90s living in nursing homes who exercised with
weight machines three times a week for just eight weeks showed improvements in
strength, balance and walking speed." It's never too late to lift just a
few light weights and increase your bone density.
Without
resistance exercises to strengthen muscles and bones, most people face a
midlife slide into flabbiness and its associated ills. And as we age, strength
training becomes even more important to offset age-related declines in muscle
and bone mass that can lead to frailty and fracture— the primary reason older
adults wind up in nursing homes.
Healing Moves by Carol Krucoff and
Mitchell Krucoff MD, page 144
Osteoporosis.
Bone-thinning osteoporosis can lead to fractures, especially hip fractures, a
major medical problem for the elderly. One way to maintain strong, healthy
bones is to get plenty of calcium. Certain kinds of exercise, including
strength training, also help keep bones healthy. In addition, weight training
helps prevent fractures by strengthening the leg muscles, contributing to
improved balance and decreasing the likelihood of falls, the cause of most
fractures in the elderly.
Natures Cures by Michael Castleman,
page 452
Because nine out of 10
hip fractures result from falls, engaging in activities that increase strength
and balance helps decrease the risk. strength training is one of the best ways
to increase bone density in the spine naturally and prevent falls.
Overdosed
Postmenopausal
women are at the greatest risk for brittle bones
Men also can have brittle
bones, but women — especially thin women who are past menopause — are at
greater risk. If you're thin, you have less weight bearing down on your bones
during normal activity, and that means your bones will weaken faster. It's
particularly important for you to start a regular program of weight-bearing
exercises such as walking, jogging,
or strength training. Studies have found gardening is also good at
pumping up your bones so if you enjoy that activity, keep it up. The fresh air
and sunshine are an added
bonus.
Eat and Heal by the Editors of
FC&A Medical Publishing, page 278
Calcium suplements
are not enough
Simply increasing your
calcium intake doesn't guarantee that the calcium is going to get into your
bones. To properly absorb calcium the body needs other nutrients as
well—magnesium, for one, and other vitamins. Exercise,
particularly weight training, helps the bone retain its calcium. "Without
consideration of these effects," says the nutritional biochemist Dr. Neil
S. Orenstein of
Longevity by Kathy Keeton, page 120
Numerous studies
demonstrate strength training's ability to increase bone mass, especially
spinal bone mass
There's even some evidence
that increasing muscle mass
can increase bone mass. When researchers at McMaster University in Ontario put
a group of postmenopausal women on a year-long program of anaerobic strength
training, not only did their muscle size increase by 20 percent, but their
spinal bone mass rose by 9 percent. It's possible, then, that strength training
might help ward off osteoporosis.
Longevity by Kathy Keeton, page 160
In a recent study on bone
density and exercise, older women who did high-intensity weight training two
days per week for a year were able to increase their bone density by 1.0
percent, while a control group of women who did not exercise had a bone density
decrease of 1.8 to 2.5 percent. The women who exercised also had improved
muscle strength and better balance, while both decreased in the nonexercising
control group.
Prescription Alternatives by Earl
Mindell RPh PhD and Virginia Hopkins MA, page 20
We know that weight
lifters have much denser bones in their back and legs than do runners, for
example. Studies do show that walking prevents bone loss in the spine, but
strength training has been proved to build bone mass in the spine and hip. One
study that (deservedly) got a lot of media attention followed a group of
postmenopausal women who were generally healthy—but sedentary. None were taking
HRT, or any other
bone-related medicines, or taking calcium supplements. Half performed a simple
weight-lifting routine twice a week, while the other half stuck with their
couch potato ways. After one year, the weight lifters built their bone mass 1
percent on average, at both the hip and spine. That compares favorably to what
you'd see with HRT alone. To give you perspective, consider this: the women who
did not lift weights lost up to 2.5 percent of their bone mass over the same
time period— and also lost muscle mass and gained body fat and weight. The
weight lifters became much more active in general (as the researchers
calculated it, a 27 percent increase), while the sedentary group became less
active. The weight lifters lowered their body fat, gained muscle, and had
better balance and more strength. And here's a wonderful bonus: the researchers
had the daughters of the women who lifted weights come in and do the tests
their mothers were acing. In every case, the weight-lifting women outperformed
their own daughters!
The Bone Density Program George
Kessler DO PC, page 279 and 280
A Journal of the American
Medical Association article reported a
Milk The Deadly Poison by Robert
Cohen, page 268
Still, we were confident
that Ramona could do even better, so we told her to work harder and to try some
strength training as well. When Ramona came back to see us one year later, her
bone density was 10 percent higher. And she had become a fanatic about strength
training, working out four times a week.
Ultraprevention by Mark Hyman MD and
Mark Liponis MD, page 102
Strength training
does not mean that you have to train for the Olympics or tediously do the same
exercise over and over: A wide variety of weight-bearing exercises yields
bone-building results
Physical impact and
weight-bearing exercise stimulates bone formation. Just as a muscle gets
stronger and bigger the more you use it, a bone becomes stronger and denser
when you regularly place demands upon it. The best bone builders are exercises
that put force on the bone, such as weight-bearing activities like running and
resistance exercises like strength training. In general, the greater the impact
involved in an activity, the more it strengthens the bones. That's why the
bones in the racket arms of tennis players are denser than the bones in their
nondominant arms. When muscles and gravity aren't pulling on the bone, humans
can lose bone mass rapidly. This is dramatically illustrated when people are
forced by injury or ill health to undergo complete bed rest and, as a result,
lose about 1 percent of their bone mass per week. This is similar to the
devastating effects on bone mass seen in young, healthy male astronauts in outer space, due
to the loss of gravity.
Healing Moves by Carol Krucoff and
Mitchell Krucoff MD, page 144
Exercise for Skeletal
Health. Weight-bearing exercises are very important to help avoid osteoporosis.
Weight lifting, including curls and bench presses, is a beneficial activity.
Women should not resist going to gyms as they age. But even if you don't go to
a gym, you can still profit from taking a little one-pound weight and curling
it throughout the day. In fact, you can take a five-minute break every hour to
do exercises. Dancing, stair-climbing, and brisk walking are all weight-bearing
exercises, which promote mechanical stress in the skeletal system, contributing
to the placement of calcium in the bones. Aerobic exercises such as biking,
rowing, and swimming do not strengthen the bones.
Power Aging by Gary Null, page 363
Not only is weight
training safe, it is important for preventing osteoporosis. As muscles are
pulled directly against the bone, with gravity working against it, calcium is
driven back into the bones. It also stimulates the manufacture of new bone.
This adds up to a decrease in the effects of osteoporosis by 50—80 percent.
Women need to do weight training two to three times per week for fifteen to
thirty minutes. All the different muscle groups should be worked on.
Twenty-four hours should lapse between sessions to rest muscles. For best
results, an exercise program should be started long before the onset of
menopause.
Womans Encyclopedia Of Natural Healing
by Dr Gary Null, page 277
Walking may be the best
all-around exercise, but as far as bone building goes, strength training is the
cream of the crop. The pull of muscle against bone stresses a bone, and that
kind of stress is what makes a bone become stronger. Impact also strengthens a
bone, but the impact that comes from running or jumping, say, can be otherwise
harmful to the body. Muscle working against gravity provides another kind of
impact for the bones, stimulating bone formation and slowing loss. Strength
training with free weights (including light hand and ankle weights) or weight
machines is the most direct way to provide that stress and impact of muscle on
bone, which is what makes it ideal for building and preserving bone density.
The Bone Density Program George
Kessler DO PC, page 279
Since stronger muscles do
a better job of holding joints in their proper places, resistance training can lessen
the joint wear and tear associated with osteoarthritis, the type of arthritis
that most often afflicts older adults. What's more, studies find, weight
training can strengthen your bones, offering added insurance against
osteoporosis. That's because your bones and muscles are intimately connected.
When you work your muscles against resistance, they pull on the bones they're
attached to. In medical lingo, your muscles exert stress on your bones, and
your bones, under stress, respond by laying down more calcium to reinforce
themselves, explains Dr. Ades.
Healing with motion by the editors of-Prevention
health books, page 332
Not only is weight
training safe, it is important for preventing osteoporosis. As muscles are
pulled directly against the bone, with gravity working against it, calcium is
driven back into the bones. It also stimulates the manufacture of new bone.
This adds up to a decrease in the effects of osteoporosis by 50 to 80 percent.
People need to do weight training two to three times per week...
Get Healthy Now by Gary Null, page 15
Do strength-building
exercises, such as weight lifting, three times a week for at least ten minutes.
This is particularly important for women, since it helps maintain bone density.
The Real Age Diet by Michael F Roizen
MD and John La Puma MD, page 39
Strength training is also
one of the proven ways to reduce the risks associated with osteoporosis,
because strong muscles can support the bones more effectively. Strength
training also slows the aging process, improves posture and balance, and
increases energy, strength, and stamina.
Active Wellness By
Almost any type of
vigorous exercise will maintain or build bone. Dr. Lee recommends walking,
biking, tennis, or weight lifting.
Alternative Cures by Bill Gottlieb,
page 473
The physical stresses to
which bones are subjected during exercise stimulate new bone growth. Get at
least 30 minutes of walking, weight lifting or another weight-bearing exercise,
three times a week.
Bottom Line Yearbook 2002 by Bottom
Line Personnel, page 18
Exercises that put stress
on your bones, such as jogging and weight training (even light weights), will
also strengthen your bones, whereas exercises that do not stress your bones,
such as swimming, will not improve bone strength.
Complementary Cancer Therapies by Dan
Labriola ND, page 198
For best results,
women should start strength training long before menopause; however, women can
experience the benefits at any age.
Extensive research has
shown that muscles and bones will get stronger in response to strength training
regardless of your age. Some health experts call strength training "the
closest we've come to a fountain of youth."
Healing Moves by Carol Krucoff and
Mitchell Krucoff MD, page 144
Aerobic exercise has long
been touted as a way to prevent or slow bone loss, but researchers increasingly
emphasize the benefits of strength training, such as weight lifting, to prevent
bone loss at any age. A 1994 study published in the Journal of the American
Medical Association revealed that women as old as 70 who lifted weights twice a
week for a year avoided the expected loss of bone and even increased their bone
density slightly.
Permanent Remissions by Robert Haas
MS, page 205
One study of people in
their 80s and 90s living in nursing homes who exercised with weight machines
three times a week for just eight weeks showed improvements in strength,
balance, and walking speed. Even people who are already frail can, with proper
exercise using light weights, build up enough leg strength to walk without a
cane. I've no doubt of the bone benefits that went along with these results,
even though they weren't tracked by the researchers.
The Bone Density Program George
Kessler DO PC, page 281
Strengthening exercises
such as weight training are as important as calcium for strong bones, and they
can be started at any age. Even someone age 80 or older can be helped by weight
training or isometrics—a form of exercise that involves contracting and
releasing specific muscles. Your hospital, community recreation center, or
senior center is likely to have more information on this exercise technique.
The Herbal Drugstore by Linda B White
MD, page 442
The more bone you build
early in life, the better you will be able to withstand the bone loss that
starts to occur by about age 35. Years later, the loss of bone mass can result
in the debilitating disease called osteoporosis. To develop bone mass, you need
to make weight-bearing exercise part of your daily life—with activities like
walking, running, and weight lifting.
Wellness Self-Care Handbook by John
Edward Swartzberg MD FACP and Sheldon Margen MD, page 41
Weight lifting is not
just for the young. Gerontologists and others who study aging now know that
muscles built when you are 40, 50 and 60 can help more than just your
self-esteem. Developed leg, trunk and arm muscles help protect older bodies
from injuries related to frailty. These muscles help keep bones, which peak in
density between ages 21 and 30, stronger longer.
Uncommon Cures for Everyday Ailments
by the editors of Bottom Line Health, page 112
As
with every other strategy in this book, it is never too late to benefit from
strength training. You know you should be getting 30 minutes of weight-bearing
aerobic exercise three times a week. Strength training is a valuable addition
because we know it builds bone more directly and efficiently than any other
kind of exercise you can do.
The Bone Density Program George
Kessler DO PC, page 293
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