Exercise and bone mass in young and premenopausal women

The studies that investigate exercise effects on bone mass in young and premenopausal women are sparse. This population of women represents three distinct subgroups: the young woman just at the end of longitudinal growth, the adult woman who is beginning to lose bone, and the competitive female athlete. The majority of research has focused on the female athlete and most investigators report lower than normal bone mass among women who experience exercise-associated oligo- and amenorrhea. More recent investigations have reported that the type of exercise has a profound effect on bone mineral density and activities that deliver high loads appear to offset the effects of low reproductive hormones. Information gleaned from these studies has important implications for the design of exercise programs to build bone mass in the young adult woman and offset bone loss in the older premenopausal woman.