Illumination | Spring 2008

The letter got their attention, and many participants asked how they could counteract their newly discovered osteopenia. One of them was Nathan Means, 35, an assistant professor of biology at Columbia College and an avid cyclist. He said besides the fun, stress relief and cardiovascular benefits exercise provides, doing something good for the whole body is one of the main reasons he's active. Still, Means says, "You don't want to choose something that will have deleterious effects on your body. I was alarmed. I called Pam up and said 'What do I need to do for mitigation, what can I do to stop it?'"

Hinton told Means and the other at-risk athletes to modify their diet and exercise. Make sure your diet includes sufficient calcium and vitamin D, she advised. These nutritional elements can help stem future bone loss though they won't correct an already existing problem. For that, she said, you need weight-bearing activity on a regular basis.

More generally, Hinton says cyclists should follow the recommendations of the American College of Sports Medicine and the National Strength and Conditioning Coaches' Association. These professional organizations recommend that cyclists incorporate conventional strength training into their existing regimens. Cyclists might also think about incorporating plyometrics -- "explosive" jumping, bounding and hopping exercises -- into their daily workout schedules.

Research has shown, for example, that plyometrics is an effective way to increase bone mass in adolescent women, Hinton says. But she concedes there remains much to learn about how various forms of weight-bearing activity affect mens' bone mass.

"There have been studies in women, especially postmenopausal women, and kids," Hinton says. "But relatively little has been done on the effects of resistance training or plyometrics on bone density in men."

That will change with Hinton's next project, a year-long study to determine which activity, traditional strength training or plyometric exercise, is more beneficial for building bone among men with low bone density. This should allow researchers to make better fitness recommendations, she says.

Means isn't waiting. He has already added plyometric activity to his weekly exercise mix of cycling and yoga. And he now jumps rope about four times a week, for short bursts of time.

"Jumping rope is tough," Means says. "I thought I was in pretty good shape for a fellow my age. And then I started doing this."

Published by the Office of Research.