Although these results do not prove any causal relationship between long-term high-intensity strength training and elevated BMDs among women, they do raise questions that some type of relationship may exist.
The study is Case Study: Bone Mineral Density of Two Elite Senior Female Powerlifters
4 comments:
is this an activity related phenomena or do these people eat differently than the average person?
It's a basic fact of bone physiology that bones grow in response to stress, and remodel in response to stress as well. Your bones are constantly resorbing and being laid down. Mineralization may not be entirely based on this, but it most certainly is related to the turnover/renewal of your bones.
My bone density is off the charts (I'm in like the 98th percentile for 30 yo women and I was post meno mid-40's when it was done) and I have no doubt it was due to my "heavy lifting" during obese years.
Thanks Evelyn. Bone health is one of the key reasons that I recommend resistance training. Interestingly it is not just the weight bearing that seems to be important. It the tension of muscle pulling on the bones - the mechanistic model.
I liked the tentative and very accurate conclusion here refusing to ascribe causality!
At a practical level on the nutritional side Vitamin K (K-1 phylloquinone and more potently, K-2 menaquinone) contribute to bone quality - specifically a reduction in bone fractures - without necessarily increasing bone mineral density. BMD may not be the best marker of bone health. Big Pharma likes to point to increases in BMD with their drugs but it is now known that use of those drugs can actually increase the risk of bone fractures.
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