Do sweat calcium losses affect bone mass during firefighter training?

Although participation in vigorous exercise is associated with increased bone mass, recent evidence suggests that loss of calcium in sweat may result in a negative calcium balance and, ultimately, a decrease in bone mass. Anthropometric characteristics, habitual physical activity levels, dietary calcium intake, bone mineral content, and bone turnover markers were measured in 42 male recruits before and after 4 months of firefighter training. During two strenuous mid-training sessions, sweat calcium concentrations were measured; they averaged 1.1 mM. Whole body and total hip bone mineral content increased significantly, as did one marker of bone formation, and were not associated with sweat calcium concentration. This study demonstrates that intense physical training sessions that produce high sweat rates do not have an adverse effect on the bone mineral content of healthy young men.