Exercise for Prevention of Osteoporosis: A Review

In brief This paper reports some of the current research about the effects of physical activity on bone mineral and its implications in preventing osteoporosis. For men, bone mineral loss does not usually present a problem until about the eighth decade, but some women may lose 30% of their bone mineral mass by age 70. Although physical activity is only one of many factors in osteoporosis, it is clear that bone atrophy occurs when activity is lacking and that bone hypertrophy occurs when sufficient physical activity is present.