Can Swimming Help Build Bones?

Although many experts believe only weight-bearing exercises like running, aerobics and tennis will slow calcium loss in the bones.

A study by Dr. Eric S. Orwoll, an endocrinologist from Portland, Oregon, suggests swimming can be beneficial, too.

Dr. Orwoll studied 58 men over 40 who had been swimming for at least three hours per week for at least three years.

All were non-smokers who drank little alcohol. Swimming was their only sport. The swimmers’ bones had substantially more calcium than those of 78 non-exercising men in the same age group who followed the same diet. The study’s results could be good news for people concerned about osteoporosis — especially those who must avoid weight-bearing exercises, or for people who just like to swim.