Summary Scientists found that sports could significantly reduce bone disease in teens.
Teenagers have been urged to play sports or run for at least three hours a week to counteract the potential damage to their bone health caused by prolonged spells of sitting.
Experts have found evidence that adolescents who spend long periods engaged in certain sedentary activities are more likely to have low bone mineral content in parts of the body where it can be an indicator of the risk of developing osteoporosis.
In the research, the team found that studying put girls at particular risk, while for boys leisure internet use posed the greatest threat.
Scientists found that participating in at least three hours of certain sports could significantly reduce the threat in girls. The study found evidence of the benefits of high-intensity sports where the participant is on their feet, such as football, basketball, netball or running.
Scientists have previously studied the impact of an inactive lifestyle on problems such as obesity or heart defects, but this is one of the first studies analysing the effects of different sedentary behaviours on bone health in the critical development period of adolescence.
“Clearly we are not telling girls not to study. It is a fact of modern life that teenagers spend more time engaged in deskbound or sitting activities, but our research is one of the first to identify a connection between this behaviour in adolescents and low levels of bone mass in key regions of the body,” said Dr Luis Gracia Marco of the University of Exeter, who led the research.
“It is already well-known that an inactive lifestyle has implications for young people, such as obesity and heart diseases.
Combined with that, our findings emphasise the need for exercise, and we hope it will give some focus for young people and their parents to ward off any health problems later in life,” Dr Marco added.
