Average actual physical activity may avert fractures for middle-aged adults
February 22, 2021
2 min read through
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The authors report no related economic disclosures.
Even reasonable stages of leisure-time physical exercise in center age are related with decrease danger for fractures, according to analyze knowledge printed in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Analysis.
In a future, inhabitants-based analysis, researchers also located that significant operate, living by itself, smoking, and no or significant alcohol usage maximize the chance for fracture amid middle-aged gentlemen and females.
Any stage of physical activity was related with a decrease hazard for bone fractures in center-aged grownups, while large operate was connected with an greater fracture danger.
“Aside from the much-centered-on bone well being, life style selections and psychosocial things play a function for the chance for sustaining a fracture,” Cecilia Rogmark, MD, PhD, affiliate professor in the office of orthopedics at Lund University and Skåne College Healthcare facility in Malmö, Sweden, instructed Healio. “Any diploma of actual physical activity is linked with a protecting result in opposition to fractures in center age and ‘young-old’ age. Living by yourself, cigarette smoking and not drinking or superior volumes of alcoholic beverages had been chance aspects as properly.”
Cecilia Rogmark
Rogmark and colleagues analyzed facts from 30,446 grownups followed from 1991-1996 to 2016 as portion of the Malmö Food plan and Most cancers review (indicate age, 58 a long time). Members supplied blood samples and accomplished self-administered questionnaires about wellbeing and way of life behaviors, like smoking, schooling and bodily action and leisure time, as effectively as the latest mental worry. Scientists utilized Cox regression versions to evaluate the association among baseline variables and initial incident fracture (attained via Countrywide Affected person Sign-up), with sizeable risk factors summed into fracture chance scores.
Inside the cohort, 8,240 adults (27% 73% women of all ages) skilled at the very least one particular fracture all through a median follow-up of 20.7 yrs. The most prevalent fractures have been sustained at the reduce arm and hand, adopted by hip fractures and fractures of the reduce limb and foot.
Scientists observed that just about every improve in physical action in middle age was related with a reduction in fracture danger for the duration of stick to-up. The quintile with the lowest bodily exercise had an 8% bigger possibility for fracture vs. these individuals in all other quintiles.
Age, feminine sexual intercourse, BMI, previous fracture, reported family members heritage of fracture soon after age 50 yrs were each and every independently affiliated with incident fracture (P < .001 for all). Additionally, low leisure-time physical activity (P = .018), heavy work (P = .024), living alone (P = .002), smoking (P < .001), and no or high alcohol consumption (P = .005) were also independently associated with incident fracture. The fracture risk score (0-9 points) was strongly associated with incident fracture (P for trend < .001).
Among men without risk factors, the incidence rate was 5.3 per 1,000 person-years compared with 23.2 per 1,000 person-years among men with six or more risk factors (HR = 5.5 95% CI, 3.7-8.2). Among women with no risk factors, the incidence rate was 10.7 per 1,000 person-years compared with 28.4 per 1,000 person-years among women with six or more risk factors (HR = 3.1 95% CI, 2.4-4).
“In contrast to leisure-time physical activity, physical activity during working time in the form of heavy workload increased the risk of fractures,” the researchers wrote. “Other cohort studies have failed to demonstrate any difference associated with the workload level. The fact that our study participants were still of working age can possibly explain the higher risk of fracture in the heavy-work group, as they may have suffered occupational injuries.”
Rogmark said that understanding the complexity of concurrent factors that increase the risk for fracture can allow providers to address behavior changes and not rely on osteoporosis prevention alone.
For more information:
Cecilia Rogmark, MD, PhD, can be reached at cecilia.rogmark@skane.se.
Perspective
E. Michael Lewiecki, MD, FACE, FACP
Exercise has many benefits, including cardiovascular fitness, weight control, enhanced sense of well-being and improvement of many metabolic factors. Regular weight-bearing and muscle-strengthening physical activity and balance training to reduce fall risk are standard recommendations for patients with osteoporosis. However, the effects of physical activity on bone density, fall risk and fractures have been difficult to ascertain due to variability of study designs, study populations and the type and intensity of exercise interventions.
This large prospective study from Sweden provides solid evidence for the benefits of leisure-time physical activities of moderate intensity in reducing the risk for clinical fractures in middle-aged men and women. This is good news for those of us who are now physically active, even at a modest level, and should provide motivation for those who are sedentary to become more active. The study also supports public health policies that encourage physical activity.
Keeping active is good for bones, and almost any kind of activity is probably better than none.
E. Michael Lewiecki, MD, FACE, FACP
Director of the New Mexico Clinical Research and Osteoporosis Center
Director of Bone Health TeleECHO Clinic
University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center

Disclosures: Lewiecki reports he has received consultant fees from Alexion, Amgen, Radius Health, Samsung Bioepis and Sandoz speaking fees from Alexion and Radius Health and research support from Amgen, Bindex, Mereo and Radius Health.
