This paper is only available as a PDF. To read, Please Download here.
Abstract
purpose: To determine if walking, independently of other types of physical activity, influences
bone density and rates of bone loss from the lumbar spine and whole body.
patients and methods: Healthy, white, post-menopausal women (n = 239) participating in a 1-year, placebo-controlled
trial of vitamin D supplementation were studied. Bone densities of the lumbar spine
and whole body were measured semiannually by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. Current
and historical participation in outdoor walking and other leisure-time physical activities
was assessed by questionnaire.
results: Women who walk more than 7.5 miles per week had higher mean bone density of the whole
body and of the legs and trunk regions of the body than women who walk less than 1
mile per week. The current level of walking activity was reflective of lifelong walking
habits. The number of miles walked per week was also correlated with longitudinal
rates of change in bone density at the legs (rp = 0.16, p = 0.03).
conclusions: Healthy postmenopausal women who walk approximately 1 mile each day have higher whole-body
bone density than women who walk shorter distances. Walking is also effective in slowing
the rate of bone loss from the legs. These results strongly support the widely held
belief that walking is a beneficial form of physical activity for maintaining skeletal
integrity.
To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
Purchase one-time access:
Academic & Personal: 24 hour online accessCorporate R&D Professionals: 24 hour online accessOne-time access price info
- For academic or personal research use, select 'Academic and Personal'
- For corporate R&D use, select 'Corporate R&D Professionals'
Subscribe:
Subscribe to The American Journal of MedicineAlready a print subscriber? Claim online access
Already an online subscriber? Sign in
Register: Create an account
Institutional Access: Sign in to ScienceDirect
References
- Weight-bearing exercise training and lumbar bone mineral content in postmenopausal women.Ann Intern Med. 1988; 108: 824-828
- Effects of exercise training on bone density in older men and women.J Am Geriatr Soc. 1991; 39: 1065-1070
- Physical exercise as prophylaxis against involutional vertebral bone loss: a controlled trial.Clin Sci. 1983; 64: 541-546
- A comparative study of exercise, calcium supplementation, and hormone-replacement therapy.N Engl J Med. 1991; 325: 1189-1195
- Interaction of calcium nutrition and physical activity on bone mass in young women.J Bone Miner Res. 1988; 3: 145-149
- Lifetime calcium intake and physical activity habits: independent and combined effects on the radial bone of healthy premenopausal Caucasian women.Am J Clin Nutr. 1989; 49: 34-41
- Physical activity and osteoporosis in postmenopausal women.Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1984; 16: 44-50
- Weight-bearing exercise, overexercise, and lumbar bone density over age 50 years.Arch Intern Med. 1989; 149: 2325-2329
- Effect of two randomised exercise programmes on bone mass of healthy postmenopausal women.BMJ. 1987; 295: 1441-1444
- Deterring bone loss by exercise intervention in premenopausal and postmenopausal women.Calcif Tissue Int. 1989; 44: 312-321
- Effect of physical activity on lumbar spine and femoral neck bone densities.Int J Sports Med. 1989; 10: 181-186
- A 1-y walking program and increased dietary calcium in postmenopausal women: effects on bone.Am J Clin Nutr. 1991; 53: 1304-1311
- The effects of walking on the cross-sectional dimensions of the radius in postmenopausal women.Calcif Tissue Int. 1987; 41: 65-69
- Brisk walking does not stop bone loss in postmenopausal women.Bone. 1988; 9: 201-204
- Effect of vitamin D supplementation on wintertime and overall bone loss in healthy postmenopausal women.Ann Intern Med. 1991; 115: 505-512
- The relative energy requirements of physical activity.in: 2nd ed. Exercise physiology. Academic Press, New York1968: 267-322
- The assessment of historical physical activity and its relation to adult bone parameters.Am J Epidemiol. 1988; 127: 1053-1061
- Precision and stability of dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry measurements.Calcif Tissue Int. 1991; 49: 174-178
- 2nd ed. SAS user's guide: statistics. SAS Institute Inc, Cary, NC1990 (version 6)
- Regional changes in body composition by time of year in healthy postmenopausal women.Am J Clin Nutr. 1992; 56: 307-313
- Bone density in premenopausal women: effects of age, dietary intake, physical activity, smoking, and birth-control pills.Am J Clin Nutr. 1991; 53: 132-142
- Can vigorous exercise play a role in osteoporosis prevention?.in: A review. 2nd ed. Osteoporosis Int. 2. 1992: 55-69
Article info
Publication history
Accepted:
March 19,
1993
Received:
October 14,
1992
Footnotes
☆This study was supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University (Contract No. 53-3K06-5-10) and the Procter and Gamble Company. The contents of this publication do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.
Identification
Copyright
© 1994 Published by Elsevier Inc.
