OsteoStrong training does not appear to improve bone mineral density (BMD) in postmenopausal women with low BMD, researchers have reported.
The finding is from a study of 44 women, with dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scans after eight months showing no changes in total hip, femoral neck, and lumbar spine BMD, noted lead author Jakub Mesinovic, PhD, of Deakin University in Geelong, Australia, and colleagues.
“Although some improvements in physical function were observed, bone outcomes, including total hip [areal] BMD, either remained stable or declined over the intervention period,” the group wrote. The study was published September 20 in Bone.
OsteoStrong is an organization of membership-based training centers that claims its program can generate 14% increases in BMD over a year, the authors wrote. As of December 2023, OsteoStrong comprised almost 200 centers worldwide. To date, only three peer-reviewed studies have published findings on the efficacy of OsteoStrong for improving bone health, with conflicting results, the authors added.
To add to the body of evidence on the program, the group enrolled 44 postmenopausal women with low BMD (DEXA -determined T-scores of <-1.0 but >-3.0 at total hip and/or lumbar spine). The participants attended supervised, once-weekly 10- to 15-minute sessions at an OsteoStrong clinic for eight months.
The researchers calculated DEXA changes in areal BMD (aBMD) and trabecular bone scores (TBS), as well as changes in volumetric BMD (vBMD) and bone microarchitecture and strength using high-resolution peripheral quantitative CT (HRpQCT). In addition, they assessed physical function and body composition.
Out of 38 women who completed the study, at eight months, there were no changes in total hip, femoral neck, and lumbar spine aBMD (all p > 0.05), while TBS decreased (p < 0.05). At the distal radius, total, trabecular and cortical vBMD and cortical thickness also decreased (mean change: -0.007 mm).
Meanwhile, in terms of physical function, participants chair stand time (mean change: -0.8 seconds) and stair climb time (mean change: -0.1 seconds) decreased, while their Short Physical Performance Battery scores increased (mean change: 0.2).
“These findings suggest that eight months of OsteoStrong does not significantly improve bone density, microarchitecture, or strength in healthy postmenopausal women with low BMD, despite good adherence and safety,” the group wrote.
Ultimately, however, the researchers noted that the lack of a treatment control group in the study precludes conclusions on whether OsteoStrong training can preserve bone health over time, and that the study participants were a healthy, narrowly defined subgroup who may not be representative of the broader population of postmenopausal women with osteoporosis.
“Further research may therefore be required to determine OsteoStrong’s acceptability, adherence and safety across diverse, real-world populations,” the researchers wrote.
The full study is available here.