Hip fractures and femoral bone mineral density in male former elite athletes

We studied whether vigorous physical activity in young adulthood is associated with higher femoral bone density and lower risk of hip fracture at older age in men.A cohort of former male elite athletes (n=2147) and matched control subjects (n=1467) were studied for their leisure physical activity, and for fragility fractures at the hip (proximal femur) by Cox regression. Areal bone mineral densities (aBMD) at femoral neck and trochanter region were measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry in a subgroup of the former athletes (n=87; median age 59 years) and in a population-based control group (n=194) and compared by general linear models.After their active sporting careers, the former…