# EFFECTS OF EXERCISE ON BONE MINERAL CONTENT IN WOMEN

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA · 1989 · $426,126

## Abstract

Osteoporosis is a significant health problem in the US. accounting for
approximately 1.2 M fractures each year with annual costs of $6.1 B.
Traditional therapies are expensive require medical supervision, and
sometimes have undesirable side effects. Recent NIH conferences stressed th

need to develop safe, effective, low-cost strategies which might be
applicable to populations at large for maximizing peak bone mass, minimizin

bone loss, and preventing osteoporotic fractures. Direct evidence for an
exercise effect on bone mineral content is lacking. There is a need for
prospective studies in humans to determine the effectiveness of exercise
training to increase peak bone mass and minimize bone loss. Previous studie

are limited by one or more methodological problems possibly rendering their
conclusions invalid, e.g., 1) failure to randomize exercise and control
groups, 2) poor control of extraneous variables, 3) small sample sizes, 4)
failure to adjust for subject attrition, 5) imprecise measurement technique
,
6) poorly designed exercise programs, 7) limited age groups of subjects and
bone measurement sites. In the proposed study, we intend to quantify change

in both axial and appendicular bone mass resulting from two years of
progressive resistance exercise and to follow the maintenance of the change

for two years after training has ceased. The subjects will be 520 white
females selected from four age groups (120-160 per age group): 1) 12 to 15
years. 2) 17 to 19 years, 3) 30 to 40 years, and 4) 45 to 55 years. Subject
assignment to experimental (N-60) and control N-60) groups will be randomiz
d
and measurements of bone mineral content will be made at several sites usin

single and dual photon absorptiometric techniques. The sample size of 60-80
subjects per group has been estimated to be sufficient to detect the expect
d
changes. Further, we intend to correlate the skeletal changes with indices
of bone formation and resorption (serum bone Gla protein, alkaline
phosphatase, urinary hydroxyproline), and other physiological factors, e.g.
calciotropic hormones, sex steroids, and diet. Potential confounding effect

of variable Ca intakes will be minimized by having all subjects take a 500
mg/day Ca supplement. The significance of the proposed study lies in
attaining a better understanding of the effectiveness of exercise for
increasing peak bone mineral mass and minimizing bone loss in different age
groups, and the physiological factors indicating or mediating these effects

This information is important to develop an effective exercise prescription
for both the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 3159665
- **Project number:** 1R01AR039559-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA
- **SAM.gov UEI:** ED44Y3W6P7B9
- **Principal Investigator:** TIMOTHY G LOHMAN
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1989
- **Award amount:** $426,126
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 1989-08-05 → 1992-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/3159665

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 3159665, EFFECTS OF EXERCISE ON BONE MINERAL CONTENT IN WOMEN (1R01AR039559-01A1). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-24 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/3159665. Licensed CC0.

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