Weight-bearing activity provides an osteogenic stimulus. This study investigated the influence of different exercise types and differences in anatomical distribution of mechanical loading patterns on bone mineral density (BMD) and body composition in elite runners and swimmers. Seventy-six subjects were assigned to 6 groups according to their sex and exercise type (male runners N=12, female runners N=13, male swimmers N=17, female swimmers N=10, male control group N=12 and female control group N=12). Experimental groups exercised at least three times a week and had engaged in at least three years of running and swimming training. Subjects in the control group had not exercised regularly within the previous year. Duel-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) was used to measure subjects head, arms, legs, trunk, ribs, pelvis, spine, and total body BMD (g/cm^2). A two-way ANCOVA was used for data analysis. The results were as follows: BMD-affected areas between sexes were the head, arms, legs, ribs and total body BMD (g/cm^2) (p<.05). The BMD of the female head and L2-L4 were significantly higher than the male's head, but the BMD of the other parts of the female body was significantly lower then the male subjects (p<.05). The BMD of the swimmers' arms and ribs were significantly higher than the control group. The runners' BMD was significantly higher than the control group in every area. Runners' legs, trunk, spine, pelvis, femoral neck, W ward's triangle, L2-L4 and total body BMD were significantly higher then the swimming group. Conclusions: Running, a weight bearing exercise, is associated with larger site-specific BMD and lower body composition than swimming and non-exercise.
Weight-bearing activity provides an osteogenic stimulus. This study investigated the influence of different exercise types and differences in anatomical distribution of mechanical loading patterns on bone mineral density (BMD) and body composition in elite runners and swimmers. Seventy-six subjects were assigned to 6 groups according to their sex and exercise type (male runners N=12, female runners N=13, male swimmers N=17, female swimmers N=10, male control group N=12 and female control group N=12). Experimental groups exercised at least three times a week and had engaged in at least three years of running and swimming training. Subjects in the control group had not exercised regularly within the previous year. Duel-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) was used to measure subjects head, arms, legs, trunk, ribs, pelvis, spine, and total body BMD (g/cm^2). A two-way ANCOVA was used for data analysis. The results were as follows: BMD-affected areas between sexes were the head, arms, legs, ribs and total body BMD (g/cm^2) (p<.05). The BMD of the female head and L2-L4 were significantly higher than the male's head, but the BMD of the other parts of the female body was significantly lower then the male subjects (p<.05). The BMD of the swimmers' arms and ribs were significantly higher than the control group. The runners' BMD was significantly higher than the control group in every area. Runners' legs, trunk, spine, pelvis, femoral neck, W ward's triangle, L2-L4 and total body BMD were significantly higher then the swimming group. Conclusions: Running, a weight bearing exercise, is associated with larger site-specific BMD and lower body composition than swimming and non-exercise.