Risk of osteoporosis in adults with poor push-up capacity

Osteoporosis (OP) is a growing problem in China, with unhealthy effects and financial burden on society. OP is closely related to muscle loss. Push-up is often used to evaluate the muscle fitness. Therefore, push-up capacity may be associated with the risk of osteoporosis. This study explored whether push-up capacity was a protective factor for osteoporosis.

31,596 participants aged 20-59 years were included from the 2020 National Physical Fitness Monitoring in Guangdong Province, which used a random cluster sampling method. The push-up capacity was assessed with a 1-min timed push-up test. Logistic Regression was used to analyze the association between push-up capacity and OP, reflected by odds ratio (OR) and 95 % confidence interval (95 % CI).

The median number of push-ups (16 times vs. 19 times, P < 0.001) and the proportion of individuals in 28∼98 push-ups group (17.0 % vs. 23.9 %, P < 0.001) were lower in OP patients than in healthy adults. After adjusting for the confounding variables, compared with 0∼12 push-ups group, 28-98 push-ups group was associated with a lower risk of osteoporosis for both sexes (adjusted OR = 0.446, 95 % CI = [0.262-0.733] for males; adjusted OR = 0.701, 95 % CI = [0.515-0.948] for females).

Push-up capacity was inversely associated with OP, suggesting that it may serve as a valuable marker for screening individuals at risk of OP. People should pay more attention to muscle strength training, including push-up, in the early stage of OP.