Inactive men may have a substantially increased risk for broken bones of all kinds, and especially for hip fractures, a new Swedish study has found.
Even after controlling for health and behavioural variables, researchers reported, sedentary men were more than one and a half times as likely as active ones to suffer a broken bone, and more than two and a half times as likely to break a hip.
Although they are unsure of the mechanism, the authors theorise that exercise may work by increasing skeletal strength and muscle mass, and improving balance. The active men in the study did three or more hours a week of intense physical activity. Previous studies have linked exercise with bone health in women. But until now the evidence for men has been mixed.
New York Times
