Brisk Walking Reduces Calcaneal Bone Loss in Post-Menopausal Women

Abstract

1. This study examined the influence of brisk walking on skeletal status in post-menopausal women. 2. Subjects were 84 healthy women aged 60-70 years. Who were previously sedentary and at least 5 years post-menopausal. Subjects were randomly assigned to walking (n = 43) and control (n = 41) groups. Walkers followed a 12-month, largely unsupervised programme of brisk walking. The bone mineral density of the lumbar spine, femoral neck and calcaneus and broadband ultrasonic attention of the calcaneus were measured at baseline and after 12 months. 3. Forty control subjects and 38 walkers completed the study. Walkers built up to 20.4 +/- 3.8 min/day (mean +/- SD) of brisk walking. Body mass increased in control subjects relative to walkers [mean change (SE) +0.9 (0.3) and -0.1 (0.3) kg respectively; P = 0.04]. Predicted maximum oxygen uptake increased in walkers by 2.1 (0.9) ml min-1 kg-1 (P = 0.02). Bone mineral density in the lumbar spine and calcaneus fell in control subjects [-0.005 (0.004) and -0.010 (0.004) g/cm2, respectively] but not in walkers [+0.006 (0.004) and +0.001 (0.004) g/cm2]. The difference in response between groups was significant in the calcaneus (P = 0.04) but not in the lumbar spine (P = 0.08). Mean femoral neck bone mineral density did not change significantly in either group, although changes in walkers were related to the amount of walking completed (r = 0.51, P = 0.001). The change in broadband ultrasonic attenuation of the calcaneus differed between groups [control subjects, -3.7 (0.8); walkers, -0.7 (0.8) dB/MHz; P = 0.01]. 4. Walking decreased bone loss in the calcaneus and possibly in the lumbar spine. It also improved functional capacity and enabled walkers to avoid the increase in body mass seen in control subjects.

Association between Self-Perceived Health, Physical Activity, and BMD in Aging Men and Women

“…Presumably, snow shoveling and various activities performed in training clothes results higher strain on the femoral neck than activities such as walking and bicycling. These results have also been confirmed in clinical studies, in which high-impact training two to three times per week was found to increase BMD in premenopausal women; [17,20,21] however, the effects of this type of physical activity on BMD in postmenopausal women are more modest [22,36,37]. Daly et al studied the association between lifetime sport and leisure activity participation and bone characteristics in older men and showed that long-term regular participation in weightbearing sport and leisure activities was an important determinant of bone size, quality, and strength at the loaded sites [23].…”

“…Some studies have also shown an association between weightbearing physical activity and BMD in middle-aged women and men [17][18][19][20][21]. These studies have reported either a higher BMD in physically active pre-and postmenopausal women *Address correspondence to this author at the Department of Surgical and Perioperative Sciences, Sports Medicine, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden; Tel: +46-90-7865000; Fax: +46-90-135692; E-mail: taru.tervo@idrott.umu.se compared to inactive women in this same age group [17][18][19][20][21] or less bone loss in physically active women compared to inactive women [21,22]. Only a few studies have investtigated the association between physical activity and BMD in non-athletic middle-aged men [23,24].…”

Tibial impacts and muscle activation during walking, jogging and running when performed overground, and on motorised and non-motorised treadmills

“…Walking and running, either overground or on a treadmill are recommended for the health of the general population [9], with benefits including reduced body fat, lowered resting heart rate and increased maximal oxygen uptake [10]. Walking and running are also recommended for maintaining bone health during ageing [11,12,13,14]. For bone health, it is important to establish the magnitude of mechanical loading and muscle activation generated by walking and running as the intensity of loading encourages skeletal adaptation [15].…”

Does Vitamin D Receptor Polymorphism Influence the Response of Bone to Brisk Walking in Postmenopausal Women?

“…Target amounts of walking gradually increased from 60 to 140 min/week over the first 3 months and were maintained at this level thereafter. Adherence was confirmed by improvements in fitness, as reported previously [15]. Dietary Ca intake was evaluated by means of 7-day weighed food inventories using computerized food composition tables (Compeat 4.1, Nutrition Systems, UK) at baseline and after 1 year.…”

“…Recently, we found significant responses in BMD and broadband ultrasonic attenuation (BUA) at the calcaneus to a 1-year randomized intervention trial of brisk walking in healthy British women aged 60–70 years [15]. Therefore, in this study, we compared these responses in BMD and BUA to the brisk walking programme between VDR genotypes to examine any interaction between the effect of the exercise on bone measurements and VDR polymorphism.…”