Regular, moderate physical activity is significantly linked to reduced risk of hip and total fracture in postmenopausal women, according to new research from the University at Buffalo.
Women who participated in about 35 minutes or more of daily recreational and household activities had an 18% lower risk of hip fracture and 6% lower risk of total fracture than their less active counterparts, the research team reported.
Several recent studies have highlighted the health benefits of exercise that doesn’t quite meet the intensity and time commitment of current U.S. physical activity guidelines, wrote study co-author Jean Wactawski-Wende, Ph.D., and colleagues.
“These findings provide evidence that fracture reduction is among the many positive attributes of regular physical activity in older women,” Wactawski-Wende concluded.
Fracture is very common in postmenopausal women, and is associated with loss of independence and greater risk of death. Mortality after a hip fracture is as high as 20%.
The researchers used data from the Women’s Health Initiative study. Results were published in JAMA Network Open.
