Staying agile reduces hip fracture risk

Women who engage in substantial leisure time activity, including walking, are less likely to sustain a hip fracture. A new report from the long-running Nurses' Health Study, covering over 57,000 postmenopausal women in the US, shows that keeping active keeps the bones strong. Each weekly increase of three hours activity(known as metabolic equivalent task or MET) was linked to a six per cent decrease in hip fracture risk. Three hours MET is similar to one hour of walking a week.

Women with at least 20 MET a week had a 50 per cent lower risk of hip fracture, compared to those reporting less than three MET a week. Among women who did no other exercise, four hours of walking a week nearly halved their risk of hip fracture. The message is clear - to keep your bones strong and intact, you should keep moving and include as much walking as you can in your weekly routine.