Resistance Exercise Protects Bone Health in Older Adults with Obesity

Successful weight loss approaches in older adults with obesity can, unfortunately, lead to bone loss and an enhanced risk of fractures. The study published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research examined which forms of exercise might help decrease such bone loss.// In the randomized controlled trial of 160 obese men and women aged 65 years or older who were living in New Mexico, investigators found that resistance exercise, alone or combined with aerobic exercise, was effective in reducing weight loss-induced decreases in hip bone density.

Intriguingly, aerobic exercise alone was not effective.

"It is never too late to practice a healthy lifestyle through diet and regular exercise, especially that which includes resistance exercise to improve physical function and preserve bone health during aging," said senior author Dennis T. Villareal, MD, of? Baylor College of Medicine.

Source-Eurekalert