Is riding a bicycle bad for your bones ?

Some study indicate that there is a significant loss of bone density in professional bicycle riders. And it is a well known fact that these riders suffer from frequent fractures in their bones when they meet with an accident while riding a bicycle.

New York Times blog has an article pursuing this very thought whether riding a bicycle is harmful to ones bones.

After providing pertinent proof of loss of bone density in many professional bike riders, the article goes on to say that recreational bicycle riders (I believe bike commuters are also included in this group) have little to worry.  Here is a quote from the article.

Researchers suspect that drinking calcium-enriched waters or sports drinks during long, hot bike rides may help to stave off some bone loss. Even more encouraging, most recreational cyclists probably don’t need to worry too much about their bones. “The studies to date have looked primarily at racers,” Smathers says. “That’s a very specialized demographic. These guys train for hours at a very high intensity. They sweat a lot. They never go for runs. They don’t usually do much weight-lifting,” to avoid adding bulk. “They’re strange.” He knows. “For competitive riders, I’d recommend spending some time weight-training.”

Ordinary bicycle riders and daily bike commuters can take comfort that they are left out of the red for the time being.

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