Long-term bone loss in dieting older people may be minimised by resistance training

Resistance training may help minimise long-term bone loss in the hip in older adults who are obese and cutting calories, says a study in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research.

Resistance training (weight training) is exercise where you lift or pull against resistance using, for example, dumbells, powerbands or any other external resistance.. It doesn’t have to be heavy duty gym work and should be tailored to each individual.

“If minimizing bone loss during active weight loss proves necessary to offset long-term skeletal fragility, then our results suggest that resistance exercise may need to be coupled with other intervention strategies to maximize skeletal benefit,” explains lead author Dr Kristen Beavers.

The team highlights that the next step should be to work out the mechanisms underlying weight-loss-induced bone loss, so that safe and effective strategies can be designed to preserve all aspects of bone health in older people who are dieting.

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