Yet more scientific proof that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.
New research from the Institute of Public Health at Cambridge University shows that exercise involving repeated impacts – even walking up stairs – can slow the rate of bone loss later in life. The researchers analyzed ultrasound heel measurements, which are used to predict the risk of hip fracture, of nearly 5,000 men and women who took part in a major European study of chronic diseases.
Their results showed that men who regularly did high-impact activities had higher ultrasound measurements, which could equate to a 33 percent cut in the risk of hip fracture. The reduction in women was 12 percent.
The lesson as we see it, is too abandon all those namby pamby suspension bikes and bouncy forks pump your tyres up hard and rattle your way to a robust age. Seriously though, it’s nice to know that all those crashes we have now will make us better able to survive dual slalom stairlift racing and freestyle zimmer displays in a few years time.