Brisk walking boosts bone health in premenopausal women

Long-term brisk walking helps improve bone mineral density (BMD) in premenopausal women, a recent study has found. In particular, 30-minute walks per day at least thrice per week seems to be a good frequency to prevent bone loss.

The study included 222 healthy premenopausal women in whom BMD was measured through dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. Participants were grouped into two according to their Physical Activity Index scores: brisk walking (score ≥40; n=84, mean age 46 years) and sedentary (score <40; n=138, mean age 47 years).

Independent t-test revealed that BMD was significantly lower in the sedentary vs brisk walking groups (mean, 0.89 vs 1.00 g/cm²; p<0.001), but no such effect was reported for weight and body mass index. All parameters for brisk walking were significantly and positively associated with BMD, including intensity (R, 0.37; p<0.001), duration (R, 0.60; p<0.001), frequency (R, 0.65; p<0.001), volume (R, 0.70; p<0.001), and index (R, 0.62; p<0.001).

In a subsequent experiment, the researchers followed 35 women who were assigned to the sedentary group. Their BMDs were recorded after 2 years of constant moderate brisk walking. Those who took 30-minute brisk walks for at least 3 days per week saw significantly better BMD after 2 years.

“Compared with jogging or running, brisk walking has a low ground impact, minimizing the strain on feet and joints and is relatively risk-free. Besides, there is little, if any, decline in middle age,” the researchers said. “It is the main option for increasing physical fitness in sedentary populations, especially in the middle-aged and the elderly.”