Recreational football improves bone mineral density and bone turnover marker profile in elderly men

Abstract

This study examined the effect of recreational football and resistance training on bone mineral density (BMD) and bone turnover markers (BTMs) in elderly men. Twenty-six healthy sedentary men (age 68.2 ± 3.2 years) were randomized into three groups: football (F; n = 9) and resistance training (R; n = 9), completing 45-60 min training two to three times weekly, and inactive controls (C; n = 8). Before, after 4 months, and after 12 months, BMD in proximal femur (PF) and whole body (WB) were determined together with plasma osteocalcin (OC), procollagen type-1 amino-terminal propeptide (P1NP), and carboxy-terminal type-1 collagen crosslinks (CTX-1). In F, BMD in PF increased up to 1.8% (P < 0.05) from 0 to 4 months and up to 5.4% (P < 0.001) from 0 to 12 months; WB-BMD remained unchanged. After 4 and 12 months of football, OC was 45% and 46% higher (P < 0.001), and P1NP was 41% and 40% higher (P < 0.001) than at baseline, respectively. After 12 months, CTX-1 showed a main effect of 43% (P < 0.05). In R and C, BMD and BTM remained unchanged. In conclusion, 4 months of recreational football for elderly men had an osteogenic effect, which was further developed after 12 months, whereas resistance training had no effect. The anabolic response may be due to increased bone turnover, especially improved bone formation.

Effects of soccer vs swim training on bone formation in sedentary middle-aged women

“…Furthermore, Helge et al (2010) found no change in total areal BMD in the legs after participation in soccer training for 14 weeks, but reported a 2-3 % increase in volumetric BMD in the tibia. The present study found no alterations in total leg BMD, but demonstrated large increases in total leg BMC and in BMD in the femur shaft and trochanter, which is in agreement with recent study findings in elderly men (Helge et al 2014b). The discrepancy between the present findings after soccer training with premenopausal women may relate to the higher training volume in the present study with an average of 3.0 weekly training appearances compared to 1.8-1.9 sessions per week reported in previous studies (Helge et al 2010;Jackman et al 2013;Rizzoli et al 2014).…”

“…Also untrained young women participating in a 16-week soccer training intervention displayed a 37 % increase in resting osteocalcin concentration (Jackman et al 2013). In addition, soccer training in elderly sedentary men also caused augmentation in resting plasma osteocalcin, PINP and CTX-1 after 4 and 12 months interventions with no effects of resistance training (Helge et al 2014b). Finally, a group of homeless men had a 27 % increase in plasma osteocalcin level after 12 weeks of street soccer (Helge et al 2014a).…”

The Osteogenic Effect of Impact-Loading and Resistance Exercise on Bone Mineral Density in Middle-Aged and Older Men: A Pilot Study

“…Although studies of other modalities of exercise have reported changes in bone turnover markers in older men and in response to sports [28,29] , the current study is one of only two combined impactloading and resistance exercise studies in men to measure bone turnover markers. The other study by Kukuljan et al [30] found a significant increase in alkaline phosphatase (ALP); however, bone-specific ALP was measured in the current study, making comparisons between the two difficult.…”

Comparison of the Effects of Walking and Bench-Step Exercise on Osteocalcin and CTX-1 in Post-Menopausal Women With Osteopenia

“…Tartibian et al 46 reported that 3 months of aerobic exercise at light and moderate intensity decreased CTX levels (25-30 min/session, 3-4 times per week, 45-55% of maximal heart rate). 18 Compared with previous studies, the duration of each session in this study was much shorter, which may lead to less suppression of osteoclast activity. In addition, bone resorption and osteoclast activity were greater in post-menopausal subjects, and neither type of exercise training was able to balance the pace and halt the bone resorption.…”

“…Studies by Tartibian et al 46 and Adami et al 1 on female subjects showed that osteocalcin increased, whereas CTX-1 remained unchanged or decreased after exercise of moderate intensity. A study by Helge et al 18 in some sports found that CTX-1 increased in subjects playing football.…”