Changes in total body calcium balance with exercise in the rat.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of deconditioning on the total body calcium in rats. Two separate experiments were performed using female Sprague-Dawley rats, 187-266 days of age. Total body calcium was measured in experimental and control rats during and following several weeks of voluntary exercise. The slope from the least-squares fit of total body calcium with time was used to obtain an average calcium balance for each animal during each study period. In both groups the exercised rats had a significantly decreased calcium balance after cessation of exercise, whereas no significant change was seen in nonexercised controls. In both groups, the exercised animals gained calcium at a significantly greater rate than controls. Our findings indicate that while exercised rats may gain calcium at a faster rate compared with nonexercising controls, the rate of gain following cessation of exercise is less than the controls.