Mode of Exercise and Bone Biomarkers in Older Veterans

Launched by VA OFFICE OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT · Feb 23, 2022

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial, titled "Mode of Exercise and Bone Biomarkers in Older Veterans," is investigating how different types of exercise, specifically endurance (like running or cycling) and resistance (like weight lifting), affect bone health in older adults. Researchers want to find out if resistance exercise causes the same bone changes as endurance exercise and how regular exercise training might influence these changes. This is important because while exercise is generally good for bone health, it doesn’t always lead to stronger bones for everyone.

To participate in this study, you need to be a healthy veteran aged 60 or older who is normally active, such as someone who enjoys walking or cycling. However, certain health conditions, like kidney problems or uncontrolled high blood pressure, may prevent you from joining. If you do qualify, you can expect to engage in different exercise programs while researchers monitor your bone health through blood tests and other evaluations. This study aims to provide valuable insights into how exercise can help maintain or improve bone strength, especially as we age.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Healthy older (60+ y) Veteran women and men in the Denver Metro Area
• • Normally active (e.g., recreational cycling or walking exercise)
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Impaired renal function, defined as an eGRF of \<60 mL/min/1.73m2
• • Hepatobiliary disease, defined as liver function tests (AST, ALT) \>1.5 times the upper limit of normal
• • Thyroid dysfunction, defined as an ultrasensitive thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) \<0.5 or \>5.0 mU/L
• • Serum Ca \<8.5 or \>10.3 mg/dL
• • Serum 25(OH)D \<20 ng/mL
• • Uncontrolled hypertension, defined as resting systolic blood pressure (BP) \>150 mmHg or diastolic BP \>90 mmHg;
• • History of type 1 or type 2 diabetes
• • Cardiovascular disease, defined as subjective or objective indicators of ischemic heart disease (e.g., angina, ST segment depression) or serious arrhythmias at rest or during the graded exercise test (GXT). Volunteers who have a positive GXT can be re-considered after follow-up evaluation, which must include diagnostic testing (e.g., stress echocardiogram or thallium stress test) with interpretation by a cardiologist
• • Anemia, defined as a serum hemoglobin \<12.1 g/dL for women and \<14.3 g/dL for men
• • Fracture in the past 6 months
• • Current diagnosis or symptoms of COVID-19
• • In the event of abnormal BP, live function, TSH, 25(OH)D, or hemoglobin values, volunteers can be reassessed, including after appropriate follow-up evaluation and treatment by a primary care provider. Those who have experienced symptoms of COVID-19 or have been formally diagnosed will be allowed to participate once symptoms have resolved and they are approved to return to exercise by their primary care provider.