Endocrinologist on sport and osteoporosis

MAINZ/WIESBADEN: Diet and exercise are the two cornerstones of osteoporosis prevention. Prof Dr Dr h. c. Christian Wüster, endocrinologist for Mainz and Wiesbaden, points out this connection. Both aspects should be given equal consideration. Physical activity contributes to bone health. Galileo Galilei recognised the connection between body weight and bone size back in 1683. Without stimulation through mechanical stress, the skeleton experiences rapid and pronounced bone mass loss. In addition to purely mechanical stimuli, the skeletal system is affected by other factors that promote bone formation and resorption. These include hormonal factors.

Sport and osteoporosis

Hormones change after physical exertion. It has been shown that the concentration of bone anabolic hormones, i.e. bone-building hormones such as testosterone and oestradiol, as well as the degradation-promoting hormone cortisol, increases after physical exertion. ‘It is important to find the right individual training balance in order to specifically promote bone stability through exercise,’ emphasises Prof. Dr Dr h. c. Christian Wüster.

Tips for preventing osteoporosis from the endocrinologist from Mainz

According to Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Wüster, in order to build up bone mass through exercise, training incentives should be given to the parts of the skeleton where fractures most frequently develop in connection with osteoporosis. This is particularly the case in the area of ​​the spine and the forearm. Training incentives should be increased over time in order to exceed the stresses of everyday life.

‘If patients interrupt the exercise programme, it turns out that the positive effects return,’ says Prof. Wüster, advocating continuity. At the same time, he points out that the percentage increase in bone mass is particularly high when the initial bone mass values are very low. An appropriate training programme should look like this:

The training should have a dynamic character.
It should be intensive and take place at a high frequency.
The exercises should be varied and regular.
Endocrinologist from Mainz: immobility is a danger to bone stability

Exercise science studies show that it is not the duration but the frequency of the exercises in conjunction with the intensity that seems to have an effect on bone formation. In other words, short, intensive exercises are more effective than longer, less intensive ones. It has also been shown that a high level of activity in childhood and adolescence has a lasting effect in later life. Numerous scientific studies have also shown that a prolonged period of immobility has a negative effect not only on muscle mass but also on bone calcium content. This applies both to the immobilisation of individual parts of the skeleton and to prolonged bedriddenness. It has been proven that a stay in weightlessness leads to bone loss that is similar to that of prolonged bed rest. If patients are immobile, bone mass loss of four to five percent per month can occur.

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