"Heavy bones": reality or fiction?
Last reviewed: 16.10.2021
All iLive content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure as much factual accuracy as possible.
We have strict sourcing guidelines and only link to reputable media sites, academic research institutions and, whenever possible, medically peer reviewed studies. Note that the numbers in parentheses ([1], [2], etc.) are clickable links to these studies.
If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please select it and press Ctrl + Enter.
Faced with the problem of excess weight, many people justify their pounds by the fact that they have "heavy bones". Scientists have conducted an experiment to find out whether this fact can take place, or it is just an "excuse", in order not to engage in themselves.
In a normal healthy person, the bone apparatus has a weight of approximately 8.5% of the total weight. That is, if a woman weighs 75 kg, then the proportion of the bone system will be only 7 kg. Of course, such a figure is unlikely to be significant for the overall weight index. Therefore, to write off the extra kilograms on the weight of bones, at least, is illogical.
It is established that the weight of bones directly depends not only on their magnitude, but also on the density. At the same time, the bone apparatus of women is initially easier than that of men. Of course, such factors as the motor activity of a person, his features of genetics, also have an influence. But these factors can change the mass of the bone system by no more than 10%, and this in total - no more than 1 kg to the total body weight.
Most recently, medical specialists from Canada conducted a study and determined for what reasons the human bones may differ in density.
An experiment was conducted to observe young people aged 14-16. Physicians surveyed and interviewed more than three hundred teenagers, primarily to determine the intensity of physical activity during the active development of the musculoskeletal system.
According to the results obtained, experts determined that those people who at least were moderately doing physical exercises in youth had a greater bone density later than those who were not physically active.
As pointed out by scientists, the density of bone mass in young people in recent years is constantly decreasing. This is due to the fact that adolescents pay little attention to physical activity, engaging mainly in computers, mobile phones and all kinds of gadgets. Therefore, the physical state began to gradually recede into the background. Presumably, the hour is not far off when medical specialists will begin to sound the alarm about the physical health of the younger generation.
Of course, it is very important to ensure normal bone density even in childhood and adolescence. After all, over the years, any person loses their bone mass. Bones are thinned for natural reasons, and in medicine this is called osteopenia. As a person grows old, the risk of fractures increases: the bone mass loses calcium and other minerals, becomes less heavy, less dense and more porous.
What can I do to improve the quality of my bones? Experts recommend: exercise, take calcium and vitamin D courses , walk more often outdoors (especially in sunny weather). If you follow the suggested recommendations, the bones will actually become "heavier" - but this is unlikely to cause excess weight: the body weight of a person depends mainly on the amount of fat and muscle tissue in the body.