A 2-Year Longitudinal Study of Bone Mineral Density in Collegiate Distance Runners

Brimacomb, OE, Martinez, MP, McCormack, WP, and Almstedt, HC. A 2-year longitudinal study of bone mineral density in collegiate distance runners. J Strength Cond Res 37(8): 1654-1659, 2023-The purpose of this investigation was to examine changes in bone mineral density (BMD) of male and female collegiate distance runners over 2 years. Bone mineral density of 29 collegiate distance runners (16 men and 13 women) were measured 5 times over 24 months using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) at the anterior-posterior (AP) and lateral (LAT) spine, femoral neck (FN), total hip (TH), whole body (WB), and ultradistal (UD) forearm. Repeated-measures multivariate analysis of covariance, with bone-free lean mass (BFLM) as covariate, was used to compare mean BMD values. Adjusted for BFLM, there were no significant differences ( p > 0.05) in BMD at any site between sexes. There were no significant differences at the AP or LAT spine, FN, or WB between visit 1 and 5 for either sex. There was a significant increase in BMD ( p = 0.044) at the UD forearm over 2 years in males. However, 56% of the men ( n = 9) had a Z-score < -1.0 at the UD forearm. Seven of 11 women had Z-scores < -1.0 at the LAT spine and 4 of 13 had Z-scores < -1.0 at the AP spine. There were no significant changes in BMD at any site over the 2-year time frame, except a significant increase in BMD at the nondominant forearm in men. The spine appears to be an area of concern for women in this study when examining Z-score results. Coaches and medical staff need to continually educate collegiate endurance athletes about the importance of achieving and maintaining BMD through their college years.