Exercise More Important Than Calcium for Strong Bones

Reports of a new study appeared in the June 10, 2004 issue of the Atlanta Journal Constitution.  This new study indicates that exercise is more important than calcium in developing strong bones in girls and young women.

Researchers at Penn State University and Johns Hopkins University found that when girls took in far less calcium than the recommended daily allowance, bone strength was not significantly affected, but that bone strength was related to their exercise habits.

This Penn State Young Women's Health Study began in 1990 with 112 12-year-old girls from central Pennsylvania. The ongoing study has tracked the cardiovascular, reproductive and bone health of the subjects, now in their mid-20s.  Moira Petit, one of the Penn State researchers noted, "When we looked at their lean mass, what we saw was that a 1 kilogram increase in lean mass was associated with a 2 1/2 percent increase in their bone strength."

Dr. Thomas P. Olenginski, who works with osteoporosis patients at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, Pa., praised the study for its detailed look at bone strength, but warned that no one should ignore calcium entirely. He stated, "There is a concern that kids might think, 'I can still drink nothing but sodas as long as I'm working out,'" Olenginski said. "It's the whole package that's still important."

Researcher Tom Lloyd of Penn State's College of Medicine at the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center concluded that even at the lower levels, calcium intake seemed to have little effect on bone strength.

Exercise Programs Save Companies Money

From the Associate Press comes an article that reports on the benefits of corporations having their employees participate in wellness exercise programs. "Enthusiastic participation in worksite wellness can yield a variety of health benefits," said Dr. Roy Shephard of the University of Toronto.

These corporate programs put exercise equipment and "health advisers" close to the workers. The companies add an extra incentive by either paying for all or part of the program. Unfortunately, many workers still don't participate. But, among those who do the results were impressive and several areas of health benefits were noticed.

One of the benefits noticed was that workers who participated in the program lost an average of 13% body fat. Weight loss was 2% on average, and most participants were able to lower their blood pressure. Another benefit was that workers were able to increase their aerobic power. In this area women gained 7.4 percent while men gained 4.4 percent.

Probably most important to employers who pick up the tab for medical health insurance was that these programs showed a reduction in medical expenses for workers who participated. Studies found that medical claims were reduced on average from between $100 and $400 for those people who took part in the wellness programs. These workers also took less sick time than the average.

Between the reduction of sick days, and the reduction of medical claims, it was shown that these programs saved the companies who offered them an average of $500 to $700 per worker, more than enough to cover the cost of implementing these programs.