Jumping exercises ‘help prevent osteoporosis’

JUST six minutes of exercise per week – such as jumping – could help prevent bone-thinning in women, a study suggests.

Simple two-minute exercises, three times a week, could cut the risk of osteoporosis caused by the menopause, it found.

Researchers at Manchester Metropolitan University and the University of Hull examined the impact of counter-movement jumps, box-drops and heel-drops.

A counter-movement jump is performed from a standing position and involves swinging the arms to jump vertically off the ground.

To do box-drops, a person stands on a step or box set at kneeheight and jumps down to land on two feet while bending the knees.

Heel-drops involve standing as high as possible on the toes before instantly relaxing the leg muscles and dropping on to both heels to create an impact with knees slightly flexed.

All the women in the latest study wore an accelerometer to estimate the intensity and duration of movement.

The 14 women did one jump every four seconds and then swapped to have a longer rest time, performing one jump every 15 seconds.

The results, published in the Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology, showed both jumping regimes were beneficial for bone health.

The researchers recommended that women complete 30 jumps, three times a week.

Osteoporosis is thought to affect around three million people in the UK, most of whom are women.

The disease leads to thinner bones, making them more liable to fracture.