Playing football as a child makes your bones healthy

CHILDREN and adolescents of both sexes should be encouraged to play football to strengthen their bones, suggests a recent review of studies published in the European Journal of Pediatrics.

High-impact activities such as football are known to stimulate bone growth, and researchers found benefits particularly in the spine, hips and legs.

The effects were more marked in players who had reached puberty than in younger children, as they had usually been playing football for longer.

The sport could be used to reduce future osteoporotic problems in adults, researchers say.