Exercise vital to build strong bones


Exercise vital to build strong bones
October 21, 2005
'Move it or Lose it' starts three-year lifestyle campaign to
fight osteoporosis
Exercise can help reduce the risk of osteoporosis and related
fractures, a new report explains.


"One of the best ways to build and maintain healthy bones is
through exercise," noted Professor Helmut Minne, IOF Board member
and author of Move it or Lose it: How exercise helps to build and
maintain strong bones, prevent falls and fractures and speed
rehabilitation.
The report was issued at a press event in Berlin, Germany by
International Osteoporosis Foundation-IOF to mark World
Osteoporosis Day - WOD 2005. The launch took place during a press
event organized by the Nationale Initiative gegen Osteoporose, a
consortium of leading organizations and people fighting
osteoporosis in the country.
"This year's World Osteoporosis Day theme is the role of
exercise, the first of a three-year 'lifestyle' campaign," noted
IOF Chief Executive Officer Daniel Navid.

"We hope that our
positive message will encourage women and men to realize that they
can take responsibility for their bone health and not be victims of
osteoporosis later in life,"
Osteoporosis, in which the bones become fragile and break
easily, is one of the world's most devastating and common chronic
diseases. It strikes one in three women over 50 worldwide (more
than breast cancer) and one in five men (more than prostate
cancer).
Some highlights of the Move it or Lose it report, which will be
distributed by IOF's member osteoporosis societies in some 80
countries:
# Because bone is living tissue, which renews itself
continuously, it requires regular stimulation from physical
activity. Like muscles, bones should be used regularly or they will
deteriorate.


# In girls, the bone tissue accumulated during the ages of 11-13
approximately equals the amount lost during the 30 years following
menopause.
# One study in Finland shows that the most physically active
young girls gain about 40% more bone mass than the least active
girls of the same age. Similar, but less dramatic, results were
recorded for boys in a United States survey.
# Exercising your back during middle-age can help prevent your
vertebrae from weakening or fracturing when you get older.


# Exercise also helps balance and prevents falls - this is
important bcause every year, some two out of five people over 65
will fall at least once. Falls are a leading cause of fracture.
# Women who sit for more than nine hours a day are more likely
to have a hip fracture.
# Following fracture, exercise can help to prevent further
fractures, relieve pain and help maintain quality of life.


# Weight bearing and high impact exercise (dancing, walking,
jogging, sports, strength training) is required to stimulate bone
formation.
Other World Osteoporosis Day materials released today
include:
Un Cuerpo Sano/A Healthy Body - Osteoporosis song
Recognizing that dancing is a fun and effective way to build
bones, IOF has commissioned the world's first Latin-beat
osteoporosis song, Un Cuerpo Sano/A Healthy Body.
The song was written and performed by Erika Ender, a leading pop
singer who donated her creative energy to this project. She has
recorded the song in Spanish and English versions.


An accompanying music video featuring Erika Ender has been
produced by leading Miami-based film director Felipe Nino.
Public Service Announcements
Today IOF released a new series of eight Public Service
Announcements in which world-famous personalities urged people to
take charge of their own bone health and avoid osteoporosis:
These celebrities include:
- Paolo Rossi. Italy. Football player
- Julie Payette.

Canada. Astronaut
- Erika Ender. Panama/Brazil. Singer/songwriter
- Pilin Leon.

Venezuela. Miss World 1981
- Belinda Green. Australia. Miss World 1972
- Kirk Pengilly.

Australia. Singer, band INXS
- Mark Holden. Australia. Singer
- Trudie Goodwin.

UK. Actress
- Wojtek Czyz. Germany. Para-Olympian
- Prof.

Rita Süssmuth. Germany. Former President of the Deutscher
Bundestag
World Osteoporosis Day 2006 Theme
IOF also announced today that the theme for World Osteoporosis Day
2006 will be "Bone Appetit", the role of food and nutrition in
building strong bones.
International Osteoporosis Foundation

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