Physical exercise is an important stimulus for osteoporosis prevention and treatment. However, it is not clear yet which modality would be better to stimulate bone metabolism and enhance physical function of postmenopausal women. This review paper aims to summarize and update present knowledge on the effects of different kinds of aquatic and ground physical exercises on bone metabolism and physical function of postmenopausal women. Moderate to intense exercises, performed in a high speed during short intervals of time, in water or on the ground, can be part of a program to prevent and treat postmenopausal osteoporosis. Mechanical vibration has proven to be beneficial for bone microarchitecture, improving bone density and bone strength, as well as increasing physical function. Although impact exercises are recognized as beneficial for the stimulation of bone tissue, other variables such as muscle strength, type of muscle contraction, duration and intensity of exercises are also determinants to induce changes in bone metabolism of postmenopausal women. Not only osteoanabolic exercises should be recommended; activities aimed to develop muscle strength and body balance and improve the proprioception should be encouraged to prevent falls and fractures. Arq Bras Endocrinol Metab. 2014;58(5):514-22

Objective: To verify which component of body composition (BC) has greater influence on postmenopausal women bone mineral density (BMD). Subjects and methods: Four hundred and thirty women undergoing treatment for osteoporosis and 513 untreated women, except for calcium and vitamin D. Multiple linear regression analysis was performed in order to correlated BMD at lumbar spine (LS), total femur (FT), femoral neck (FN) with body mass (BM), total lean mass (LM) and total fat mass (FM), all determined by DXA. Results: BM significantly correlated with all bone sites in untreated and treated women (r = 0.420 vs 0.277 at LS; r = 0.490 vs 0.418 at FN, r = 0.496 vs 0.414 at FT, respectively). In untreated women, the LM correlated better than FM with all sites, explaining 17.9% of LS; 32.3% of FN and 30.2% of FT; whereas FM explained 13.2% of LS; 27.7% of FN, 23.4% of FT. In treated women, correlations with BC were less relevant, with the LM explaining 6.7% of BMD at LS; 15.2% of FN, 16% of FT, whereas the FM explained 8.1% of LS; 17.9% of FN and 17.6% of FT. Conclusion: LM in untreated women was better predictor of BMD than FM, especialy for distal femur, where it explained more than 30% of the BMD, suggesting that maintaining a healthy muscle mass may contribute to decrease osteoporosis risk. Treatment with anti-osteoporotic drugs seems to mask these relationships.

Objective To present an updated and evidence-based guideline for the use of dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) to assess body composition in clinical practice. Materials and methods This Official Position was developed by the Scientific Committee of the Brazilian Association of Bone Assessment and Metabolism (Associação Brasileira de Avaliação Óssea e Osteometabolismo, ABRASSO) and experts in the field who were invited to contribute to the preparation of this document. The authors searched current databases for relevant publications in the area of body composition assessment. In this second part of the Official Position, the authors discuss the interpretation and reporting of body composition parameters assessed by DXA and the use of DXA for body composition evaluation in special situations, including evaluation of children, persons with HIV, and animals. Conclusion This document offers recommendations for the use of DXA in body composition evaluation, including indications, interpretation, and applications, to serve as a guiding tool in clinical practice and research for health care professionals in Brazil.

In a cross-sectional study, 363 community-dwelling patients who sought specialized medical care were evaluated between autumn and spring in São Paulo, Brazil. Serum levels of 25(OH)D and parathormone (PTH), biochemical and anthropometric measurements, and bone density scans were obtained. The group was assessed using two questionnaires: one questionnaire covered lifestyle and dietary habits, skin phototype, sun exposure, medical conditions, and levels of vitamin D supplementation (cholecalciferol); the other questionnaire assessed health--related quality-of-life. Logistic regression and a decision tree were used to assess the association between the variables and the adequacy of vitamin D status. Results: The mean age of the overall sample was 67.9 ± 8.6 years, and the mean 25(OH)D concentration was 24.8 ng/mL. The prevalence of inadequate vitamin D status was high (73.3%), although 81.5% of the subjects were receiving cholecalciferol (mean dose of 8,169 IU/week). 25(OH)D was positively correlated with femoral neck bone mineral density and negatively correlated with PTH. In the multivariate analysis, the dose of cholecalciferol, engagement in physical activity and the month of the year (September) were associated with improvement in vitamin D status.

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