Osteoporosis International, the leading clinical publication on the disease, published data from the Bone Estrogen Strength Training (BEST) Study at The University of Arizona which confirmed that a specific regimen of weight-bearing and resistance exercises, combined with calcium citrate supplement over four years, provided significant improvement in bone mineral density (BMD) of postmenopausal women at key skeletal sites, whether or not they were on hormone therapy (HT).

The findings from this four-year study indicate that the protective measures of adequate calcium supplementation and resistance exercise improve bone mineral density. Women can lose 10 to 20 percent of their BMD as they age, (80% of those affected by osteoporosis are women), but the researchers found that on average women following the exercise and calcium regimen not only did not lose bone density, but increased it by 1 to 2 percent.

"The good news is these long-term data confirmed the potent combination of improved nutrition and increased physical activity to prevent bone loss. The extended use of calcium supplementation and exercise counteracted the typical loss of BMD in women at this age, in a regimen that women really can stick with," said Timothy Lohman, PhD, principal investigator for the study, director of the UA Center for Physical Activity and Nutrition (CPAN) and UA professor of physiology. "This is quite significant for younger women as well, as these exercises and calcium supplementation can help build peak BMD which may prevent health problems and osteoporosis in the future."

BEST Study Co-Investigator Lauve Metcalfe, MS, director of Program Development and Community Outreach for CPAN and an exercise interventionist with the UA Department of Physiology, added, "What sets this regimen apart is the six specific exercises that help build bone in the wrist, hip and spine--three key fracture sites. This type of weight-bearing exercise
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Contact: Heather Gianetti
212-468-3867
Manning Selvage & Lee
1-Feb-2006

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