Effects Of Impact Loading Exercise On Bone Content And Density In Japanese Postmenopausal Older Women

In Japan, which is a super-aging society, the prevention of osteoporosis and osteoporotic fractures in the older is a major challenge. Impact loading exercises, which subject bones to high impact, are effective in maintaining and increasing bone mineral content and density. However, their effectiveness in community-dwelling postmenopausal older women is yet to be fully understood. PURPOSE: This study aimed to determine the effects of a one-year impact loading exercise program on the total body bone mineral content (tBMC) and density (tBMD) in Japanese community-dwelling postmenopausal older women. METHODS: A total of 14 Japanese community-dwelling postmenopausal older women, who were living independently, participated in this study. They began to experience menopause at 52.1 ± 2.7 years of age, and 19.1 ± 7.5 years had passed since experiencing menopause. The impact loading exercise intervention was a one-year program consisting of at least two 3.5-min exercise sessions per week. In each session, participants listened to a song and performed exercises in the following order: heel raises/drops, double leg jumps, left and right single leg jumps, and strong foot stepping. The tBMC and tBMD were measured using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry pre- and post-intervention. RESULTS: The participants had 2.3 ± 1.2 impact loading exercise sessions per week. The tBMC pre- and post-intervention were 1,630.60 ± 225.02 g and 1,640.59 ± 210.04 g, respectively, showing no significant changes (P = 0.364, ES: 0.25). The tBMD values pre- and post-intervention were 0.920 ± 0.068 g/cm2 and 0.933 ± 0.072 g/cm2, respectively, showing a significant increase (P = 0.021, ES: 0.59). CONCLUSION: The one-year impact loading exercise program was effective in preventing the tBMC from decreasing with aging and in improving the tBMD in Japanese community-dwelling postmenopausal older women.