A High-Intensity Jump-Based Aquatic Exercise Program Improves Bone Mineral Density and Functional Fitness in Postmenopausal Women

Abstract

The aim of this study was to verify the effects of a high-intensity jump-based aquatic exercise (HIIAE) program on bone mass and functional fitness in postmenopausal women. We randomly assigned 25 women (65 ± 7 years) into two groups: Training group (T, n = 15) and Untrained group (Un, n = 10). The T group was submitted to 24 weeks of HIIAE program, where each session lasted for 30 minutes. The following parameters were assessed before and 6 months following the intervention: bone and physical fitness; lumbar spine (LS), total femur (TF), and whole body (WB) bone mineral density (BMD); agility (time up-and-go, TUG); and leg strength (chair stand test, CS). We observed a significant increase (p < 0.01) in LS, (Un: -0.88 ± 3.55, T: 3.71 ± 3.68; %), TF (Un: -1.38 ± 17.76, T: 6.52 ± 2.71; %), and WB (Un: 2.09 ± 3.17, T: 3.23 ± 4.18) BMD in the T group. Regarding functional fitness, the T group showed improvements in both TUG (before: 6.86 ± 1.24 vs. after: 6.22 ± 1.13 seconds; p < 0.05) and CS (before: 16 ± 4 vs. after: 19 ± 5 repetitions; p > 0.05) tests when compared with the U group's TUG (before: 5 ± 1, after: 6 ± 1 seconds; p < 0.05) and CS (before: 20 ± 2, after: 19 ± 2 repetitions; p > 0.05) scores. Our data suggest that a high-intensity, jump-based interval aquatic exercise program is able to improve BMD and functional fitness parameters in postmenopausal women.

Bone Mineral Density and Body Composition in Elderly Runners: Six-Year Follow-Up

“…BMD is reported to decrease with age, 3 but in the present study, BMD remained stable, showing just a slight nonsignificant increase over a six-year period. Moreover, none of the athletes showed any signs of osteopenia or osteoporosis in a study by Nowak et al, 8 comparing male long-distance runners and male nonathletes.…”

“…It should be considered that athletes and people who engage in physical exercise have better bone mass than those who do not engage in physical exercise; this is owing to the mechanical overload on the bone, inducing the formation of osteoblasts, piezoelectric effect, and the same mechanism of traction of the muscles on the bone. 3 However, studies have shown that after a certain BMD peak is reached, there is no further improvement in bone mineralization unless there is an increase and modification of the stimulus. 12 Indeed, results of the present study show that only an increase in the stimulus leads to an improvement of BMD.…”

“…Therefore, exercise regimes including resistance and impact training are considered as the main nonpharmacological strategies for bone formation and maintanence. 3 …”

“…As BMD is a measure of bone mineral status, it can also be influenced by various factors such as body composition, 3 genetics, hormonal state, exposure to sunlight, eating habits, and lifestyle. BMD is also closely associated with sport practice, which plays an important role in the development and maintenance of lean and bone mass.…”

Respostas cardiovasculares agudas frente a diferentes testes funcionais em idosos

“…Nesse sentido, uma prescrição adequada de exercícios requer uma avaliação física prévia, que consiste na realização de uma bateria de testes físicos, que permitem um diagnóstico individual da capacidade funcional do praticante, bem como a identificação de suas possíveis limitações (ACSM, 2010). Em ambientes, clínico e científico, os testes de sentar e levantar, "timed up and go", e o teste de caminhada de 6 minutos, ganharam popularidade nos últimos anos e são amplamente utilizados para avaliação do desempenho neuromuscular de membros inferiores, velocidade de deslocamento com mudança de direção e aptidão cardiorrespiratória, respectivamente (Aboarrage Junior, et al, 2018;Dos Anjos, et al, 2017;Harmsen, et al, 2017;Milanovic, et al, 2013) .…”