The Effect of Physical Activity on Bone Mineral Density and Fracture Rate in Very Old Post-menopausal Women

Abstract

<p>Physical activity is known to benefit many physiological processes, including bone turnover. There are; however, currently no clinical guidelines regarding the most appropriate type, intensity and duration of activity to prevent bone loss. To address this gap in the literature, we performed a retrospective analysis of data from the Canadian Multicentre Osteoporosis Study (CaMos), a prospective cohort of 10,000 adult patients. Female participants aged 75 and over provided information regarding their daily activity levels, including the amount of time spent each week performing moderate physical activity (e.g. housework, brisk walking). Outcome measures included bone mineral density and fracture rate. Multiple and linear regression analysis was used to determine the effect of increasing amounts of moderate physical activity on the outcome measures. The results indicate that a step increase in the amount of physical activity performed each day resulted in a positive effect on bone mineral density at the hip, Ward's triangle, trochanter and femoral neck (B=0.006 to 0.008, p</p>