How can Cyclists Improve Bone Health to Decrease Injury Risk?

Chasing Peak Performance without robustness is futile.

When looking at a cyclist's robustness, one area of concern is bone health. We know that 90% of bone formation/mass is achieved in 20 years and that peak bone mass is achieved in 30 years.

However, nutrition, alongside many other factors such as genetics, race, age and mechanical loading, can impact bone health.

Mechanical loading is an essential and controllable factor for strong bones. However, due to the nature of cycling, mechanical loading is minimal, and therefore, the cyclist is at risk of having a lower bone mineral density (BMD). From a Strength & Conditioning perspective, lifting weights should be integral to any cyclist's programme.

If bone health is poor, you'll likely pick up stress fracture injuries and miss vital training sessions and competitions. Understandably, crashes and accidents happen, so when this day comes, let's ensure you're as strong and robust as possible to tolerate the impact.

Good news is upon us as there are numerous ways we can increase our bone health through our diet, as outlined by Sale et al. (2019):

1) Calcium, protein, magnesium, phosphorous, vitamin D, potassium and fluoride directly support bone formation.

2) Silicon, manganese, copper, boron, iron, zinc and vitamins A, K, C, and B should be adequate to support other metabolic processes and support bone health.

3) Recommendations are to consume ample amounts of dairy, fruit and vegetables (particularly leafy green veggies) to ensure the above needs are met.

4) Ensure you meet your energy demands daily. In other words, low energy availability (LEA) is highly unfavourable for bone health. Energy Availability is defined as the amount of calories left for the body to function properly after it's catered for the demands of exercise. I.e. if calories are too low, it can cause a reduction in bone mass and strength, leading to more bone-related injuries.

5) LEA is perhaps tolerated in males Vs females when it comes to bone health, so ladies, don't go too low with your calorie restriction.

6) Low carbohydrate/high-fat diets appear to impair bone health and bone mineral density (BMD) – perhaps due to lower IGF-1 levels. Therefore, this is yet another reason to Fuel The Ride properly.

7) High protein diets don't likely cause the bone to 'leak' calcium. So keep protein intake high as bone tissue is ~50% protein.

8) Vitamin D deficiency/inadequacy can impair calcium and phosphorous regulation and, subsequently, bone health/lower BMD.

9) Potentially look at higher calcium intakes surrounding exercise to replace calcium loss via sweat. This will support bone health and many other critical cellular processes within the body.

10) In a similar vein, replace the sodium loss through sweat, as it appears that low sodium levels (hyponatremia) might negatively impact the bone.

11) Consuming protein and carbs post-exercise Vs nothing at all favours bone health and overall recovery from exercise.

So, long story short:

From a nutrition perspective, if you want strong bones to become as robust as physically possible, don't be deficient in anything.

Meet the body's demands.
Fuel The Ride

- Coach Chris