GeoSport for Society (May 2017)
Bone mineral density in osteopenic early postmenopausal women practicing Pilates gymnastic for six years
Abstract
Osteoporosis has a negative impact on health and is very frequent in women after menopause. Regular physical activity (PA) is known to reduce the bone loss associated with ageing across the lifespan. Aims: There are two aims of this study: (1) to compare the BMD values of an active female group at the end of the 5-th year with those at the end of 6-th year; (2) to compare the mineral bone density (BMD) in early menopausal women (50-65y), who followed a PA program twice a week, for 6 years with that of a similar group, who have not done any regular PA. Methods: 22 women recently entered menopause (56.53± 6.3 years, BMI 21.11±4.98 kg/m2) who have participated for 5 years the Pilates type fitness program, (60 minutes, 2x/week) formed the activel group (AG), and the sedentary group (SG) - 25 women (56.98±3.40 years, BMI 22.4±4.8kg/m2) with a sedentary lifestyle. Both groups underwent calcaneal ultrasound measurement with OsteoSysSonost 3000 device. Results: The bone parameters of the experimental group were the same, or have not changed significantly in the last year of physical activity. At follow-up (the end of the 6-th year) the bone parameters of AG and SG have generated significant differences favouring the active group (p<0.01). Conclusions: A Pilates fitness program of 12 months had not an impact on the BMD values of women in menopause, but BMD values did not decrease as expected in women of this age. Regular physical activity practiced over a six years period has led to greater BMD values for active early menopausal women than their sedentary peers.
