THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BONE-MINERAL CONTENT AND MUSCULAR STRENGTH AND ENDURANCE IN OLDER ADULT WOMEN

This study compares forearm bone mineral content (BMC) in older women with forearm muscular strength, with forearm muscular endurance, and with general cardiovascular endurance. Thirty-one postmenopausal women (aged 65-85) were tested for bone mineral content (BMC) at the 1/3 and 1/20 distal locations on the radius of the non-dominant forearm. Forearm strength was assessed with a grip dynamometer, forearm endurance with a wrist curl test, and cardiovascular endurance with a step test. There were significant correlations between forearm strength and both cortical and trabecular BMC (P < 0.05). No significant correlations were found between either of the endurance measures and BMC. These findings suggest that perhaps high resistance strength-development types of exercises may be more effective than lower resistance endurance-building types of activities relative to increased bone density.