Effects of High-Impact Weight-Bearing Exercise on Bone Mineral Density and Bone Metabolism in Middle-Aged Premenopausal Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

This study examined the effects of high-impact weight-bearing exercise on bone mineral density (BMD) and bone metabolic markers in middle-aged premenopausal women. Forty middle-aged premenopausal women were initially enrolled, but thirty-one participants (40.34 ± 3.69 years) completed in the study. The subjects were randomly divided into two groups including the high-impact weight-bearing exercise group (HWE, n = 14) and control group (CON, n = 17). The HWE group participated in the exercise for 50 min a day, three days per week for four months, while the CON group maintained their regular lifestyle. The HWE program included 10 different high-impact weight-bearing exercises such as jumping and running. BMD was measured using DXA (Hologic, QDR 4500W, Marlborough, MA, USA). The bone metabolic markers including serum 25-(OH) D, intact parathyroid hormone (PTH), osteoprotegerin (OPG), osteopontin (OPN), receptor activator of nuclear factor κB ligand (RANKL), osteocalcin (OC), C-terminal telopeptide of type 1 collagen (CTX), and calcium were analyzed. The results showed that the BMDs of femur, lumbar, and forearm did not significantly change during the intervention period in both the HWE and CON groups. A significant decrease in bone formation markers such as OC (F = 10.514, p = 0.003, ηp2 = 0.266) and an increase in bone resorption marker including CTX (F = 8.768, p = 0.006, ηp2 = 0.232) were found only in the CON group, while these values did not change in the HWE group. There was a significant increase in serum 25-(OH) D (F = 4.451, p = 0.044, ηp2 = 0.133) in the HWE group. Our findings suggest that four months of HWE is not sufficient to improve BMD and bone metabolic markers, but this impact exercise program may prevent the age-associated changes in bone turnover markers in middle-aged premenopausal women.

Obesity and Bone: A Complex Relationship

“…During menopause, higher body weight seems to decelerate bone loss [34]. The higher BMD in obese subjects, reported by many authors, is attributable to the mechanical effect of body weight on bone [20,[35][36][37][38]. The scientific literature shows how weight bearing increases bone density by acting also at the cellular level [39].…”

Special Issue “New Trends in Sport and Exercise Medicine”

“…Prevention of the onset of osteoporosis would also be important to characterize the effects of high-impact exercise on middle-aged, pre-menopausal women. Kim et al [11] performed this type of study and showed that a physical activity program (intensity set at 60-80% of maximal heart rate) reduces age-associated changes in bone markers, although it does not increase the bone mineral density.…”

“…Sixteen papers have been published, which are briefly described below. They range from mobile applications in physiotherapy to changes in bioactive lipids in half-marathoners [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16].…”

BMI mediates the effects of gut microbes on bone mineral density in the "intestinal bone axis": an observational study versus a mediation Mendelian randomization study

“…Several alterations in the gut microbiome can lead to obesity, by modulating metabolic pathways and eating behaviors of the host through GBA. For obese patients, their body weight has the mechanical effect of body weight on bone which acts at the cellular level to increase bone mineral density (Bisaccia et al, 2021, Kim et al, 2021. Some experiments have shown that osteocytes are particularly sensitive to biomechanical stress.…”