Medical X-Press – Staff Writer
“Moderate to high impact sports such as gymnastics, basketball, or football have been shown to benefit bone mass, structure and strength – with benefits particularly apparent during pre-and early adolescence. A long-term study carried out in four Swedish schools evaluated whether extra physical education classes would have an impact on bone parameters in growing children. The seven-year study specifically measured the impact of school-based exercise on tibia cortical bone mass distribution. A total of 170 children (72 girls and 98 boys) from one school were provided with 200 minutes of physical education per week, and three other schools (44 girls and 47 boys) continued with the standard 60 minutes. The participating schools were within the same geographic area, with a similar socioeconomic and ethnic structure.”(more)