Source: Video and Images Created by Amanda Soderlind
In this lesson today, we are going to discuss the effects that diet and exercise can have on our skeletal system.
Exercise effects bone remodeling by increasing the amount of calcium deposited into bones.
We're going to take a look at this diagram right here, which might be familiar from a few lessons back, when we discussed homeostasis in bone remodeling. So we're going to review this just briefly.
If blood calcium levels are too high, calcium will then be deposited into bones. When we have too much calcium in our blood, that calcium will then be taken from the blood and deposited into bones. So the bones will be built stronger and denser by a cell called osteoblast. And on the other side of that, if calcium levels in our blood are too low, a cell called class osteoplast will remove calcium from the bone, and deposit it into the blood to help maintain that blood calcium level.
Remember proper blood calcium levels are needed for the nervous system and muscular system to be able to function properly.
So calcium definitely has a large effect on how healthy our bones are. The more calcium that's deposited into our bones, the better, because it makes those bones stronger and more dense.
So exercise, basically by exercising, what that does is it increases the amount of calcium deposited into bone. As we exercise, more calcium is deposited into bone than is withdrawn. And the more that's deposited the better because, as I said, bones will then be stronger and more dense.
Aside from exercise, diet can also have an affect on the density of our bones. A diet that's high in calcium, obviously, will be better. Bones will be stronger because that calcium then will be deposited into the bones.
People who live a lifestyle who don't exercise, or maybe don't have a diet that's high in calcium, can run the risk later in life of developing diseases like osteoporosis, which is where the bone density levels decrease significantly. People who don't have very strong or dense bones are also at a greater risk of breaking or fracturing their bones, as well.
So by exercising, having a diet high in calcium, it's really helping those bones to become more strong and more dense, avoiding some of those different diseases later in life.
This lesson been an overview on how exercise and nutrition can have effects on your skeletal system.