UNLABELLED

Higher cardiorespiratory fitness may be associated with better bone health in older age, though this has not been investigated using state-of-the-science VOpeak and HR-pQCT bone density, strength, and microarchitecture measures. We found that higher VOpeak associated with higher bone strength in men, but not women, which may inform fracture prevention interventions.

INTRODUCTION

Maintaining cardiorespiratory fitness among older adults holds potential benefits for bone health, though this association has not been investigated using gold-standard measures of VOpeak and state-of-the-science measures of bone density, strength, and microarchitecture.

METHODS

Participants included 123 men (age 76.2 ± 4.4 years, 93% White) and 188 women (age 76.1 ± 4.7 years, 87% White) in the Study of Muscle, Mobility and Aging (SOMMA). Absolute peak oxygen consumption (VOpeak) was measured from treadmill cardiopulmonary exercise testing using a modified Balke protocol at the baseline visit. High-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HR-pQCT) and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scans were collected after the first annual follow-up visit (mean follow-up 1.2 ± 0.1 years) to assess radial and tibial bone microarchitecture and strength and hip areal bone mineral density (BMD), respectively. VOpeak and bone parameters were standardized within sex and analyses were stratified by sex. Linear regression models adjusted for age, race, weight, alcohol consumption, smoking, physical activity (wrist-worn accelerometry), multimorbidity index, arthritis, hypertension, and limb length (HR-pQCT parameters) or height (DXA parameters).

RESULTS

In men, higher VOpeak (per SD) was associated with higher tibial (standardized [std] β = 0.26, p = 0.03) and radial (std β = 0.36, p = 0.007) failure load, but not with DXA or other HR-pQCT bone parameters. No significant associations were found for women.

CONCLUSIONS

Associations of VOpeak with bone strength found in older men suggest VOpeak is associated with bone parameters in a sex-specific manner and mechanisms for these sex differences should be explored. Interventions aimed at increasing cardiorespiratory fitness should be evaluated for potential benefit to bone health among older men.