ECE2008 Poster Presentations Bone and calcium (42 abstracts)
1Institute of Medical Physics, University Erlangen-Nurnberg, Germany; 2Roche Diagnostics, Mannheim, Germany.
Purpose: To determine the effect of a combined ambulatory exercise program on sex steroid concentration in postmenopausal females.
Methods: The Senior Fitness and Prevention Study (SEFIP) is an 18-month randomized controlled exercise trail with 246 females, 65 years and older. The exercise group (EG) performed a vigorous endurance, strength and balance training two times per week, the wellness control group (WG) performed a low intensity and low volume session once per week for 4×10 weeks during the 18 months. Both groups were adequately supplemented with calcium and vitamin D. Serum-Estradiol, testosterone, SHBG, DHEA-S, vitamin D (25OHD) and PTH (Roche Diagnostics, Mannheim, Germany) were determined twice, before and after the intervention always between 0700 and 0900 h after an overnight fast.
Results: After 18 months samples were available for 110 women of the EG, and 114 subjects of the WG. Although a tendency for more favorable changes in the exercise group were determined for 25OHD, PTH, DHEAS and Testosterone, significant between-group differences could only be observed for Estradiol (+6.1±15.7 vs −1.7±13.6%, ES) and bioavailable Estradiol (E2/SHBG).
Conclusion: Our results indicate that besides mechanical pathways high intensity exercise programs may impact bone via changes of bone anabolic hormones.