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Exercise is widely recommended for patients with low bone density and osteoporosis, but specific guidance on modality and quantity is based mostly on expert opinion. To assess how different forms of exercise affect bone mineral density (BMD) among adults aged 40 and older, investigators performed a network meta-analysis of 124 randomized trials involving 18,000 participants. Most trials lasted 6 to 12 months.
Brisk walking or jogging was the most effective form of exercise, improving BMD at all three sites measured: lumbar spine, total hip, and femoral neck. Combined aerobic–resistance exercise led to similar improvements for spine and femoral neck BMD but not total hip BMD.
The other exercise programs evaluated (resistance …