The effect of 12 weeks of aerobic exercise intervention on bone mineral density, expression of lymphocyte alkaline phosphatase gene and bone turnover markers in overweight postmenopausal women: a randomized controlled trial

The aim of our study was to examine the effect of 12 weeks of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise on bone mineral density (BMD), lymphocyte alkaline phosphatase (ALP) mRNA expression, and biochemical markers of bone turnover in postmenopausal women (PMWs). Twenty-four healthy sedentary PMWs aged 50-60 years were randomly assigned to exercise (EX, n=12) and control (C, n=12) groups. The EX group performed walking/jogging (50-60min/day, 3days/week at 65%-70% HRmax reserve) for 12-week while the C group participated in no intervention and continued their normal lifestyle. The BMD and lymphocyte ALP mRNA were determined by DXA and qRT-PCR, respectively. After 12 weeks, the increase in the lymphocyte ALP mRNA expression and its serum (P=0.008 and P=0.001), PTH (P=0.001), Vit-D (P=0.002), and VO2max (P=0.001) were significantly higher in the EX group compared to the C group, whereas body fat was significantly decreased (P=0.028). Our study indicates that 12 weeks of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise intervention improves bone turnover by increasing the ALP mRNA expression, serum levels of PTH, ALP, and Vit-D which can lead to the prevention of aging-induced osteopenia among PMWs.