Osteoporosis, especially in the female population, has become prevalent in geriatric studies. The aim of this study was to investigat the effects of regular exercise on bone mineral density (BMD) and secretions of sexual hormones in premenopausal women. A total of 43 healthy Chinese women were enrolled. Among them, 22 subjects with history of regular exercises (mean exercise years 4.43 ± 2.94 years) were regarded as the experiment group; the other 21 subjects served as controls. Subjects with hereditary and medication histories that might affect evaluation of BMD or serum values of sexual hormones were excluded. There were no statistical significance in age, body height, body weight, BMI, and the calcium content of daily diet between the two groups. DEXA was used to assess BMD of L2- L4 of each subject. Serum values of estradiol (E2) and progesterone (P) in days 20th, and 24th of the menstrual cycle were compared. The results were that mean BMD of subjects of the experiment group was significantly higher than that of controls (p<0.01). However, the differences of serum values of E2 and P in the two groups were of no significance (p>0.05). It was concluded that regular exercise may improve BMD of pre-menopausal Chinese women. The effect of exercise on secretions of sexual hormones deserves further evaluaiton.
Osteoporosis, especially in the female population, has become prevalent in geriatric studies. The aim of this study was to investigat the effects of regular exercise on bone mineral density (BMD) and secretions of sexual hormones in premenopausal women. A total of 43 healthy Chinese women were enrolled. Among them, 22 subjects with history of regular exercises (mean exercise years 4.43 ± 2.94 years) were regarded as the experiment group; the other 21 subjects served as controls. Subjects with hereditary and medication histories that might affect evaluation of BMD or serum values of sexual hormones were excluded. There were no statistical significance in age, body height, body weight, BMI, and the calcium content of daily diet between the two groups. DEXA was used to assess BMD of L2- L4 of each subject. Serum values of estradiol (E2) and progesterone (P) in days 20th, and 24th of the menstrual cycle were compared. The results were that mean BMD of subjects of the experiment group was significantly higher than that of controls (p<0.01). However, the differences of serum values of E2 and P in the two groups were of no significance (p>0.05). It was concluded that regular exercise may improve BMD of pre-menopausal Chinese women. The effect of exercise on secretions of sexual hormones deserves further evaluaiton.