Can you increase bone density by swimming?

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Medical Video: Boning up on Osteoporosis

Caring for bones is a mandatory thing to do in order to be free from bone loss and other bone diseases in the future. Exercise becomes one of the effective choices for maintaining bone health in addition to eating healthy food.

However, not all types of exercise can maintain your bone function. Then what about swimming, which he said could make the body taller? Doesn't that mean swimming is good for maintaining bone health? Eits, wait a minute. See the explanation below to find out the exact answer.

Is swimming suitable for increasing bone density?

Reporting from the Livestrong page, swimming is not the right sport to increase bone density. If you want to increase bone density, it is more suitable for sports that give weight to the bones. Sports like this are known as weight training (not the same as weight training).

This exercise includes physical activity that requires you to hold the weight of the body using the muscles or bones of the legs or arms. For example, brisk walking, jogging, running, jumping rope, badminton or tennis, yoga, and other sports that require running or walking. It all gives the maximum load on the bone.

Why swimming is not right for increasing bone density?

Swimming is a sport that fights gravity. The effect of the presence of gravity is the formation of weight. Well, when swimming happens the effect is actually hypogravity, the effect of gravity that must be felt will be reduced by water. Buoyancy obtained when swimming does not give weight to the bones to hold it back.

In fact, to produce strong bones, exercise is needed that can provide sufficient weight on the bones. With loading, the bones will respond by building more cells to become denser. In particular, exercise that gives weight will stimulate the synthesis of osteoblasts, which are cells that build bone.

However, this does not occur in swimming sports.This is what makes many people conclude that swimming has no benefits for bones. But wait, the conclusion is too early. Because it turns out there are still other factors that you need to know about the benefits of swimming to maintain bone health.

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Swimming remains good for maintaining bone health

Although swimming does not provide benefits such as the type of weight training, you can still get good swimming benefits for bone health.

The 2013 PLoS One journal shows that swimming does not have a negative impact on bone mass. A comparison was made between swimmers and control groups (groups of ordinary people, not sportsmen) in this study.

Swimmers have a pace bone turnover or a higher bone turnover process than the control group. This bone change is a continuous process in bone renewal.

Old or damaged bone cells will be absorbed, and new bones will be formed to replace them. The high rate of bone turnover will make the bone structure form stronger and more flexible (flexible), so that it can better withstand the occurrence of broken bones.

Swimming also prevents fractures

Swimming does not increase bone density, but swimming can increase muscle mass. Increased muscle mass will have an impact on the formation of bone formation. Addition of muscle mass will create additional pressure on the bone, thus stimulating the formation of bone cells so that the bones become stronger.

Swimming can be used as one of the exercise routines to prevent safe fractures. For people who have a high risk of fractures, swimming can be the right sport. For example, obese people who put a large burden on their leg bones, people who have osteoporosis, and other similar conditions.

Effect hypogravity this pool also makes the risk of injury lower than other sports.

Combine swimming with other exercises for optimal bone health

If you already like this sport, just continue. Because swimming also provides many benefits for the heart, lungs, joints, muscles, and nerves. However, to maintain bone health optimally, swimming is not enough.

Combine your swimming activities with other sports like jogging or jump rope to add bone density and prevent osteoporosis.

Can you increase bone density by swimming?
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