I bring this up because I have full blown osteoporosis in my left femur. It was diagnosed in my late 30's. Luckily for me the rest of my body has a much higher than average bone density, but I need to take care of and be aware of the fact that my left femur is at an increased risk of fractures. Few women are fortunate enough to have advanced warning and know before they break a bone.
Osteoporosis is one of many diseases women in particular are warned about repeatedly. Calcium, Vitamin D, Boron, rare minerals... the list goes on and it is always a case of make sure you get enough calcium whilst you are growing up. Drink up your milk etc. Does any of this sound familiar?
On to that list (the nagged constantly list) for the prevention of osteoporosis goes weigh bearing exercise. Make sure you get plenty of weight bearing exercise - that's walking, running, jogging, hiking, skiing, mountaineering, dancing, skipping and so on. But sadly cycling is not on that list or at least it is not on the list that the International Osteoporosis Foundation list as exercise that is good for preventing osteoporosis. And something like 1 in 3 women will suffer from it in their lives and few will know they have this disease until they have unexpectedly broken a bone from a simple fall.
Sadly, out favourite hobby is not going to protect us: road cycling, casual cycling, even just riding a mountain bike down a path or lane is not a weight bearing exercise. http://www.womenscycling.ca/blog/health-tips/protect-dem-bones-cycling-and-osteoporosis/
Though curiously, some medical sites (other than the International Osteoporosis Foundation) do list cycling as a good preventative measure against osteoporosis.
The UK's NHS contradicts itself in the space of several lines, saying
"Regular exercise is essential. Adults aged 19 to 64 should do at least 150 minutes (2 hours and 30 minutes) of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, such as cycling or fast walking, every week.
Weight-bearing exercise and resistance exercise are particularly important for improving bone density and helping to prevent osteoporosis." But "Weight-bearing exercises are exercises where your feet and legs support your weight. High-impact weight-bearing exercises, such as running, skipping, dancing, aerobics, and even jumping up and down on the spot, are all useful ways to strengthen your muscles, ligaments and joints."
Webmdb is clearer on the matter, stating that cycling is not a weight bearing exercise: http://www.webmd.com/osteoporosis/features/exercise-for-osteoporosis
So what is the good news?
Well mountain biking has now been shown to increase bone density but I don't mean riding your mountain bike along a country lane... I do mean trail riding and that bone jarring, knee knocking, never sitting in the saddle type of mountain biking.... http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11792598
What else? Well getting out there and being out on the bike (and not using too much sun block or sun blocking clothes) increases our Vitamin D levels. Vitamin D and calcium are needed to ensure good bone density and one of the best after exercise recovery drinks is known to be a glass of milk (or in my case milk alternative). So build in to your cycling routine 3-4 miles of walking a week or another medium to high impact sport, don't apply too much sun block and you should have your bases covered!
Osteoporosis is one of many diseases women in particular are warned about repeatedly. Calcium, Vitamin D, Boron, rare minerals... the list goes on and it is always a case of make sure you get enough calcium whilst you are growing up. Drink up your milk etc. Does any of this sound familiar?
On to that list (the nagged constantly list) for the prevention of osteoporosis goes weigh bearing exercise. Make sure you get plenty of weight bearing exercise - that's walking, running, jogging, hiking, skiing, mountaineering, dancing, skipping and so on. But sadly cycling is not on that list or at least it is not on the list that the International Osteoporosis Foundation list as exercise that is good for preventing osteoporosis. And something like 1 in 3 women will suffer from it in their lives and few will know they have this disease until they have unexpectedly broken a bone from a simple fall.
Sadly, out favourite hobby is not going to protect us: road cycling, casual cycling, even just riding a mountain bike down a path or lane is not a weight bearing exercise. http://www.womenscycling.ca/blog/health-tips/protect-dem-bones-cycling-and-osteoporosis/
Though curiously, some medical sites (other than the International Osteoporosis Foundation) do list cycling as a good preventative measure against osteoporosis.
The UK's NHS contradicts itself in the space of several lines, saying
"Regular exercise is essential. Adults aged 19 to 64 should do at least 150 minutes (2 hours and 30 minutes) of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, such as cycling or fast walking, every week.
Weight-bearing exercise and resistance exercise are particularly important for improving bone density and helping to prevent osteoporosis." But "Weight-bearing exercises are exercises where your feet and legs support your weight. High-impact weight-bearing exercises, such as running, skipping, dancing, aerobics, and even jumping up and down on the spot, are all useful ways to strengthen your muscles, ligaments and joints."
Webmdb is clearer on the matter, stating that cycling is not a weight bearing exercise: http://www.webmd.com/osteoporosis/features/exercise-for-osteoporosis
So what is the good news?
Well mountain biking has now been shown to increase bone density but I don't mean riding your mountain bike along a country lane... I do mean trail riding and that bone jarring, knee knocking, never sitting in the saddle type of mountain biking.... http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11792598
What else? Well getting out there and being out on the bike (and not using too much sun block or sun blocking clothes) increases our Vitamin D levels. Vitamin D and calcium are needed to ensure good bone density and one of the best after exercise recovery drinks is known to be a glass of milk (or in my case milk alternative). So build in to your cycling routine 3-4 miles of walking a week or another medium to high impact sport, don't apply too much sun block and you should have your bases covered!
