Reversing Severe Bone Loss

 

Study suggests walking may reverse severe bone loss in prostate cancer patients.

 

"Brisk walking may reverse the severe bone loss associated with a common prostate cancer therapy, curbing the risk of fractures and osteoporosis," according to a study presented at a meeting in Los Angeles.

 

Investigators followed "70 men with localized prostate cancer undergoing radiation therapy with or without androgen deprivation therapy (ADT)."

 

They discovered that "brisk walking led to a 0.49 percent gain in bone mass in just eight to 10 weeks," while those "who didn't exercise lost 2.21 percent of their bone mass" during the study.

 

 "Men treated with ADT while getting radiation for localized disease lose bone at a rate of up to 13 percent a year." However, according to the study's lead researcher, Dr. Jennifer Wenzel of Johns Hopkins University, these "men are not routinely advised to exercise in order to preserve bone mass and prevent the risk of fractures."