Exercise, Calcium Regimen May Stave Off Osteoporosis 33771

Exercise, Calcium Regimen May Stave Off Osteoporosis

TUCSON, Ariz.Adding exerciseto calcium supplementation, with or without hormone replacement therapy (HRT),can improve bone mineral density in postmenopausal women, thereby reducing therisk of osteoporosis, according to researchers from the University of Arizona,Tucson. Their study was printed in the August issue of OsteoporosisInternational (14, 8:637-43, 2003) (http://link.springer.de).

For 12 months, 320 healthy, non-smoking women were randomlyassigned to either no exercise or an exercise regimen, which included weighttraining and cardiovascular weightbearing exercise. All women were also given800 mg/d of calcium citrate (as Citracal, from Mission Pharmacal in Boerne,Texas). After the study period, the women who used HRT, calcium and exercise hadsignificant increases in femoral neck, trochanteric (part of the femur) andlumbar spine bone mineral density. Trochanteric bone mineral density was alsosignificantly increased in women who exercised and used calcium but were nottaking HRT compared to women who used HRT but did not exercise.

Building bone mineral density is key to preventingosteoporosis, according to researchers, who noted the condition could beprevented through adequate calcium intake and good life-long exercise habits.The good news is that this study has identified a powerful combination ofimproved nutrition and increased physical activity that prevents bone loss,said Timothy Lohman, Ph.D., professor of physiology at the U of A and principalinvestigator on the study. The bottom line: when combined with calcium citrate supplementation,weight-bearing and resistance exercises offer a benefit in building bone mineraldensity.