Study shows exercise can improve bone density in postmenopausal women

(Medical Xpress)—A study by researchers in the West Virginia University School of Public Health and the University of Colorado shows that exercise can improve bone density in postmenopausal women.

George A. Kelley, D.A., and Kristi S. Kelley, M.Ed., researchers in the WVU School of Public Health Department of Biostatistics, and Wendy Kohrt, Ph.D., University of Colorado Denver, studied the effects of exercise on bone density in postmenopausal women.
 
For this study the researchers pooled the results from 25 studies that included 1,775 postmenopausal women. Exercises studied included weight-bearing exercises, such as jogging as well as weight lifting.  Improvements in bone density were found at the hip and spine, the two most common sites for fracture.

"Osteoporosis affects an estimated 200 million women worldwide. It is well-established that low bone density leading to fractures of the hip and spine are a major public health problem in postmenopausal women," Dr. Kelley said. "These findings suggest that exercise is an important option for improving bone mineral density in postmenopausal women."

The study, supported by a grant from the Department of Defense, appears in the November issue of BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders.