Effect of a 24-Week Aerobic Exercise Program for Osteopenia Postmenopasusal Women
Resource
CALCIFIED TISSUE INTERNATIONAL v.67 pp.443-448
Journal
CALCIFIED TISSUE INTERNATIONAL
Journal Volume
v.67
Pages
443-448
Date Issued
2001
Date
2001
Author(s)
CHIEN, MENG-YUEH
WU, YING-TAI
Abstract
Osteoporosis is one of the most common skeletal disorders affecting postmenopausal women. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether a 24-week program of aerobic high -impact loading exercise was beneficial for enhancing physical fitness and bone mineral density (BMD) in osteopenic postmenopausal women. Forty-three postmenopausal women aged between 48 to 65 years participated in this study . The BMD of the spine ( L2 to L4) and right femoral neck of each woman was examined by dual X-ray absorptiometry. The BMD in all subjects was more than one standard deviation below the mean BMD of premenopausal women. Twenty-two subjects attended the training programs and served as the exercise group; the other 21 subjects were in the control group. Exercise programs included treadmill walking at the intensity above 70% of maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max) for 30 minutes, and ten minutes of stepping exercise using a 20- cm-high bench. The program was conducted three times per week for 24 weeks . Physical fitness measurements included testing of flexibility, muscular strength and endurance, body composition, and cardiopulmonary fitness. The results showed that all the physical fitness measurements in the exercise group had significant improvements over those of the control group with the exception of muscle strength and fat free mass. The BMD of the L2-4 and the femoral neck in the exercise group increased 2.0% (p>0.05) and 6.8 % (p<0.05) , respectively. While the control group showed a decrease of 2. 3% (p<0.05) and 1.5% (p>0.05), respectively. In conclusion, aerobics combined with high-impact exercise at a moderate intensity was effective in offsetting the decline in BMD in osteopenic postmenopausal women.