Addition of Aerobic Exercise to a Weight Loss Program Increases BMD, with an Associated Reduction in Inflammation in Overweight Postmenopausal Women

Increased inflammation and weight loss are associated with a reduction in bone mineral density (BMD). Aerobic exercise may minimize the loss of bone and weight loss may contribute to a decrease in cytokines. We tested the hypothesis that aerobic exercise in combination with a weight loss program would decrease circulating concentrations of inflammatory markers, thus mediating changes in BMD. This was a nonrandomized controlled trial. Eighty-six overweight and obese postmenopausal women (50–70 years of age; BMI, 25–40 kg/m2) participated in a weight loss (WL; n = 40) or weight loss plus walking (WL + AEX; n = 46) program. Outcome measures included BMD and bone mineral content of the femoral neck and lumbar spine measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry, interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-α, soluble receptors of IL-6, and TNF-α (sTNFR1 and sTNFR2; receptors in a subset of the population), VO2 max, fat mass, and lean mass. Weight decreased in the WL (p < 0.001) and WL + AEX (p < 0.001) groups. VO2 max increased (p < 0.001) after WL + AEX. There was a 2% increase in femoral neck BMD in the WL + AEX group (p = 0.001), which was significantly different from the WL group. The change in sTNFR1 was significantly associated with the change in femoral neck BMD (p < 0.05). The change in VO2 max was an independent predictor of the change in femoral neck BMD. Our findings suggest that the addition of aerobic exercise is recommended to decrease inflammation and increase BMD during weight loss in overweight postmenopausal women.