Bone Study: Exercise Wins over Calcium

Staying fit is more importantthan calcium intake indeveloping strong bones ingirls and young women.A study has shown that,even among young girlswho did not meet the recommendeddaily allowancefor calcium, calcium did notdramatically affect bonestrength (as reported in theJournal of Pediatrics, June2004). Yet, a strong associationexisted betweenexercise and bonestrength.

During the 10-year study,the researchers asked theparticipants about theirexercise habits. The dataindicated that 17% of bonestrength could be attributedto exercise. Experts thinkthat building bone mass inadolescence is the bestway to prevent osteoporosisin old age.