Cyclists More Prone To Broken Bones?

One thing I love about July is watching (sadly, only on television) the Tour de France. How can you go wrong with stunning panoramas of the French countryside coupled with the staggering efforts of some of the most highly tuned athletes in the world?

But a few studies lately are saying that something's wrong with this picture. Competitive cyclists, in a study of 32 guys in their late 20s and early 30s, as well as one that followed cyclists over a full race season in Colorado, showed that these athletes have lower bone density than average, leaving them more vulnerable to breaks, fractures, and osteoporosis.

Of course, pitching over your handlebars at 40 miles an hour and becoming one with a tree could bust a few bones on anybody -- Lance Armstrong is returning to the Tour this year following a broken collarbone, and in a horrific May crash, top flight racer Christian Vande Velde (above) nearly totaled his body, fracturing six bones including three in his spine.

But even less dramatic accidents could take their toll on the cyclists, according to research done by Aaron Smathers at the University of Oklahoma. Smathers, a competitive cyclist himself, decided to launch the study after finding that his own bone density was low (shortly after this, he broke his collarbone during a race, broke it again, and eventually suffered a career-ending hip surgery). Some of the racers that Smathers followed had osteopenia in their spines, which is a precursor to osteoporosis. "To find guys in their 20s with osteopenia is surprising and pretty disturbing," he said. And in the Colorado study, the cyclists started the season already below average in bone density, but by the end of season, it was even lower.

When I first heard about this study what immediately came to my mind was that cycling is not a weight bearing exercise, meaning that while it's a great aerobic workout, it doesn't do much to help strengthen your bones, like running or lifting weights can. And many of these guys just ride, ride and ride to stay in tune. Since the last thing a competitive racer wants on his body is extra bulk, they don’t do much weightlifting.

But reading further, the researchers postulated that during such a strenuous activity (and many of these guys ride for hundreds of miles at a time, for days on end, and, like in the Tour de France, up mountains) the cyclists lose calcium through their sweat, which, like the calories they burn, is often not replenished adequately.

The researchers recommended that the cyclists take calcium supplements during race season and work some weightlifting into their routines.

Two pieces of good news: in the Colorado study, a three-month follow-up after the cycling season showed that the athletes gained back some bone density -- probably because they weren't losing as much calcium.

Also, if you are a recreational biker, you probably just need a normal intake of calcium in your daily diet to protect your bones. "The studies to date have looked primarily at racers," Smathers said. "That's a very specialized demographic. These guys train for hours at a very high intensity. They sweat a lot.”

Although none of the studies seem to include female cyclists, I'd imagine that the results would be similar. If you are one of those fleet elite, watch your calcium intake during long rides, or chug down calcium-enriched sports drinks, especially when it's hot. And a bone scan couldn't hurt, either.

(Source: New York Times)