Aerobic Exercise for Preventing Osteoporosis in Postmenopausal Women: an Update of its Effect on Bone Mineral Density

Abstract

Osteoporosis, a widespread clinical disorder causing bones to become brittle, and liable to fracture, especially among postmenopausal women, is a highly disabling health condition. While hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has been effectively applied to offset this problem, long term HRT usage commonly yields highly detrimental side-effects. Since the prevalence of disabling osteoporosis continues to increase, and pharmacologic interventions are not risk free, examining alternative approaches to preserving bone mass among women as they age remains of considerable import. To this end, this work provides an updated synthesis of the recent literature detailing the rationale for, plus the known efficacy of aerobic exercises for preventing osteoporosis among postmenopausal women. It examines the effect of aerobic exercises on bone density, particular at the hip joint, a common fracture site resulting in high rates of morbidity and mortality. Using PUBMED, MEDLINE, WEB OF SCIENCE, and CINAHL databases, a diverse body of data revealed support for the application of moderate, prolonged aerobic exercise for improving bone density of postmenopausal women with few side-effects. Furthermore, along with their ability to impact bone density at the hip joint and other sites, due to their associated cognitive and muscle neuromuscular benefits, moderate intensity aerobic exercises appear promising for preventing falls that lead to fractures. Pending further well-designed and well-controlled longitudinal studies, it is concluded clinicians can safely recommend moderate intensity aerobic exercises alone or in combination with strengthening exercises to their premenopausal or perimenopausal clients in efforts to offset the anticipated excess bone losses and osteoporotic- related hip fractures and others commonly experienced by postmenopausal women. Keywords: Aerobic exercise, Aging, bone, Bone density, Exercise, Hip fracture, Osteoporosis, Premenopausal women.