Diet and exercise, bad combination for bones

Dieting during exercise can adversely affect bone health, researchers at the University of North Carolina, United States, warned in a study published in the "Journal of Bone and Mineral Research".

The researchers examined the mice's fat behavior in the bone marrow and concluded that the combination of the two practices "harms the bones of mammals, including people, because weakens them"reported the agency Télam.

More on this topic

The team of scientists had already badyzed the effects of calorie consumption on bone marrow fat and had shown that "In obesity caused by excess calories, a greater amount of fat accumulates in the bone marrow". They also found that exercise in obese mice and normal weight "reduces fat in the bone marrow and improves bone density."

In the new work, scientists have badyzed what is happening with bone marrow fat and overall bone health by limiting the number of calories. For that they used four groups of mice: one with a normal diet (RD), another with a restricted calorie diet (CR), a group of RD who exercised and another CR who also exercised. Mice in the CR group ate 30% less than those in the RD group.

For humans, according to the United States Department of Agriculture, a "moderately active" woman in her thirties should consume 2,000 calories a day. A 30% reduction would be equivalent to a diet of 1,400 calories a day, which is the amount suggested to most people trying to lose weight.

More on this topic

"We discovered that The RC group mice lost weight, but also showed an increase in bone marrow fat. This group also had a decrease in the amount of bone as a result of the reduction of calories ", explained the experts.

So, they found that when exercising the exercise in the CR group, decreased bone marrow fat, as I had done in previous studies, but the overall quantity and quality of the bone have also made. Therefore, instead of making the bones more sturdy, exercise made them more fragile when they were combined with caloric restriction.

"Looking at it from a human point of view, even a very healthy low calorie diet from a nutritional point of view can have negative effects on bone healthespecially in combination with the exercise"they warned.

And they concluded: "This is important for women, because with age, bone health begins to deteriorate naturally. Your caloric intake and exercise program can have a big impact on the strength of your bones. and your risk of fracture ".

More on this topic