Walking prevents risk of hip fractures: Research

Researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital mined data from a large study, collecting information on the activity and sitting habits of almost 36,000 men over 24 years, Newsmax Health reports.

Their study relied on answers on questionnaires that the men filled out every two years about how vigorously they walked -- at an easy, average or brisk pace -- as well as their time spent sitting and performing other activities, including tennis, lap swimming and outdoor work.

During the 24-year follow-up period, 546 hip fractures. Eighty-five percent of the fractures involved "low-trauma" events such as slipping, tripping or falling from a chair.

The results suggest that the more a man walked, and the more vigorously he walked, the lower his risk for hip fracture as he aged, the authors reported.

"It's well known that physical activity helps to prevent hip fractures, that it helps to build bone and muscle tone. It can help with balance, too," said study author Diane Feskanich, an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School and an associate epidemiologist in the department of medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.

"One thing we're pointing out here is that it doesn't necessarily have to be strenuous activity," Feskanich said. "A lot of studies have focused on the benefits of strenuous activity, but we found walking alone helped to prevent hip fractures, and when you come down to it, older people are often more comfortable with walking."

Feskanich said she and colleagues performed a similar earlier study in women and the results almost mirrored this study.

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