Regular Strength and Sprint Training Counteracts Bone Aging: A 10-Year Follow-Up in Male Masters Athletes

Abstract

Cross-sectional and interventional studies suggest that high-intensity strength and impact-type training provide a powerful osteogenic stimulus even in old age. However, longitudinal evidence on the ability of high-intensity training to attenuate age-related bone deterioration is currently lacking. This follow-up study assessed the role of continued strength and sprint training on bone aging in 40- to 85-year-old male sprinters (n = 69) with a long-term training background. Peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT)-derived bone structural, strength, and densitometric parameters of the distal tibia and tibia midshaft were assessed at baseline and 10 years later. The groups of well-trained (actively competing, sprint training including strength training ≥2 times/week; n = 36) and less-trained (<2 times/week, no strength training, switched to endurance training; n = 33) athletes were formed according to self-reports at follow-up. Longitudinal changes in bone traits in the two groups were examined using linear mixed models. Over the 10-year period, group-by-time interactions were found for distal tibia total bone mineral content (BMC), trabecular volumetric bone mineral density (vBMD), and compressive strength index, and for mid-tibia cortical cross-sectional area, medullary area, total BMC, and BMC at the anterior and posterior sites (polar mass distribution analysis) (p < 0.05). These interactions reflected maintained (distal tibia) or improved (mid-tibia) bone properties in the well-trained and decreased bone properties in the less-trained athletes over the 10-year period. Depending on the bone variable, the difference in change in favor of the well-trained group ranged from 2% to 5%. The greatest differences were found in distal tibia trabecular vBMD and mid-tibia posterior BMC, which remained significant (p < 0.05) after adjustment for multiple testing. In conclusion, our longitudinal findings indicate that continued strength and sprint training is associated with maintained or even improved tibial properties in middle-aged and older male sprint athletes, suggesting that regular, intensive exercise counteracts bone aging. © 2021 The Authors. JBMR Plus published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.

Keywords: AGING; BONE pQCT; EXERCISE; HIGH‐IMPACT TRAINING; LONGITUDINAL STUDIES.

Fig. 1

Ten‐year changes in distal tibia (A) and tibia midshaft (B) in well‐trained and less‐trained athletes. Outcomes were standardized with respect to their baseline values. Individual data points, group means, and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for unadjusted (narrower CIs) and M_eff‐Sidák multiple test‐corrected (wider CIs) analyses are presented. The displayed p values denote the unadjusted group × time interaction effect if p < 0.05. Multiplicity adjusted p values are shown in parentheses. Cases in the well‐trained group with vBMD_CO = −3.36 and 2.54 were cropped from the figure on the right‐hand side.

Fig. 2

(A) Mean polar mass distribution curves for the well‐trained (upper panel) and less‐trained (lower panel) athletes at baseline and at the 10‐year follow‐up indicating the angular distribution of bone mineral mass around the center of mass in 5° steps that were subsequently averaged into eight 45° sectors. A = anterior; A‐M = anteromedial; M = medial; P‐M = posteromedial; P = posterior; P‐L = posterolateral; L = lateral; A‐L = anterolateral. (B) Ten‐year changes in polar mass distribution of the tibial shaft in well‐trained and less‐trained. Outcomes were standardized with respect to their baseline values. Individual data points, group means, and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for unadjusted (narrower CIs) and M_eff‐Sidák multiple test‐corrected (wider CIs) analyses are presented. The displayed p values denote the unadjusted group × time interaction effect if p < 0.05. Multiplicity adjusted p values shown in parentheses.