Building Muscle Increases Bone Density – Quality Nutritional Supplementation Is Paramount

The best exercise to strengthen your bones.

By Martica Heaner, Ph.D., M.A., M.Ed., for MSN Health & Fitness

Q. My family has a history of osteoporosis and I’d like to strengthen my bones to avoid it. Which exercises are best?

A. There are many misconceptions about which activities improve bone density. Although most any exercise can help with the problems that occur with declining bone mass, some types and intensities of exercise are much more effective at building stronger bones. Here’s why:

Bone health and the problems associated with it occur in a cascade. It all starts with how much bone density you have at your peak levels during your early 30s. The amount of bone mass you have is mostly determined during your childhood and teen years. Around 90 to 95 percent of the bone mass that you will have for life is developed by the time you are 20 years old. The remaining 5 to 10 percent is built during your 20s and early 30s, but generally no later than 35 (research is unclear as to exact cutoff date).

It may be too late to do anything about building the bulk of your bone bank now, but you can get an indication of where you stand by assessing your behaviors when you were younger. The 2004 report from the Surgeon General on Bone Health and Osteoporosis points out the factors in your younger years that likely lead to optimum bone mass: an active lifestyle, especially participating in sports that involve jumping like basketball, volleyball or gymnastics; normal weight (not underweight or under-eating); a diet with a good amount of calcium-rich foods, including plenty of fruits and vegetables.

If you were an inactive and/or underweight teen, and if you ate more junk than nutritious foods, your bone mass may be lower than ideal. If you were ever underweight, experienced irregular periods, smoked, drank excessive amounts of alcohol and/or have taken steroid medications for an extended period of time, then your risk of having less-than-optimal bone density is higher.

But all women, regardless of their bone density at its peak, start to lose it in their mid-30s due to bone changes. So it’s crucial to optimize bone health with the right lifestyle behaviors in your 20s, 30s and beyond.

During your 20s, and possibly early 30s, the cells that build bone—osteoblasts—are active and working more than the cells that break down bone—osteoclasts. After your early to mid-30s, osteoblasts slow down and osteoclasts rev up. At this point, you may still be able to increase some types of bone tissue, particularly the cortical type in the middle of the bone. Also, the outer surface of the bone may strengthen, even if the internal area is weakening. Plus, you can slow down the rate at which you are losing bone.

All exercises can help, but activities that actively promote bone growth are those that pound or pull on your bones, such as high-impact exercises that produce strong muscle contractions. Walking is low impact and not that beneficial for bone density, although it’s great for all-around health. Jumping, on the other hand, provides a stimulus to the bone cells that improves bone strength. Lifting a weight that is heavy enough to produce a forceful muscle contraction results in the muscle attachment pulling on the bone it’s attached to. That stimulus also activates bone cells. Light weights do not require enough muscle fiber to contract with enough force to produce this effect.

Here are some things you can do to improve bone density:

1. Jump

Even a small amount of jumping appears to be helpful. Some research has found that post-menopausal women who jump rope one to two minutes a day experience bone benefits. Running also provides a helpful impact, as does high-impact aerobics, kickboxing and certain calisthenics such as jumping jacks. But this pounding for too long—such as running a marathon—may have a minimal effect on bone because after a certain period bone cells may become desensitized to additional impact.

Impact sports that include jumping, such as basketball, tennis, volleyball and gymnastics, are beneficial as well. Research on those who perform racket sports have found that people tend to have greater bone density in the arm that swings at the ball than in the non-swinging arm.

If you have joint issues or a physical condition that warrants limiting the amount of impact you do, check with your doctor or physical therapist. There may be alternative moves or modifications you can make to sneak in a little impact.

2. Lift heavy weights

Women often lift weights that are too light to experience the maximal benefit of weight lifting. Work with a personal trainer or trainer in your gym to build up to heavier loads. Some body-weight moves, such as climbing or doing pull-ups on bars lifting your own body weight, may produce enough pull on the bone. Lighter resistance training, like yoga and Pilates, does not appear to produce forceful enough contractions to build bone.

3. Include other bone-health promoting activities

Some activities that do not actually build bone can still improve bone health by preventing falls and their resulting fractures. You can protect against falls by including balance exercises such as standing on one leg during certain yoga or Pilates moves, practicing Tai Chi or by improving stability during dynamic balancing moves (such as when doing lunges). Building muscle mass all over by lifting weights can also help you develop better muscle control and pad you if you do fall.

4. Eat for bone health

Eating a nutrient-rich diet is vital. And that doesn’t mean focusing only on calcium, which is found in all plant foods as well as in dairy. Also eat lots of plant foods that are high in other bone-promoting nutrients such as vitamin K. Get adequate vitamin D, either through sunlight or enriched foods. Although supplementation is advised, it’s always better to meet nutrient needs through food sources. Get your calcium from plant foods like kale, collard and other greens, broccoli and spinach; other sources are oranges, beans, soy products like edamame and tofu, almonds, tortillas, dairy foods and sardines. Egg yolks and salmon contain vitamin D. Milk and soy milks are usually fortified with D. Eating plenty of fruits and veggies will boost your intake of other bone-boosting nutrients including vitamin K, magnesium and trace minerals.

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Resource

Bone Health and Osteoporosis: A Report of the Surgeon General

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