Spending too much time sitting in front of screens may be linked to poorer bone health in teen boys, according to a new study from Norway. The findings clearly show that sedentary lifestyle during adolescence can impact on bone mineral density and thus compromise the acquisition of peak bone mass. This can have a negative impact in terms of osteoporosis and fracture risk later in life. The skeleton grows from birth to the end of the teen years and bones reach their maximum strength and size in early adulthood. Nutrition and physical activity are major factors in bone growth. Therefore, the findings here that a sedentary lifestyle may cast a negative impact on bone health in adolescents is not surprising.
Adolescent should be encouraged to live a more active lifestyle and embrace outdoor activities more as the benefits are likely to be more far ranging than what we thought.
About one in five men older than 50 will suffer a fracture due to osteoporosis, but levels of awareness about osteoporosis risk and bone health in males are unfortunately extremely low.