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Exercise Mode and Acute Bone Resorption

Comparison of Exercise Mode on Disruptions in Calcium Homeostasis

Status
Completed
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT04815824
Enrollment
9
Registered
2021-03-25
Start date
2021-10-08
Completion date
2024-09-30
Last updated
2025-07-20

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Aging, Osteoporosis

Keywords

exercise, bone resorption, calcium

Brief summary

Endurance exercise is often recommended to improve cardiometabolic health and maintain bone health throughout life and to prevent osteoporotic fracture. However, there is evidence to suggest that bone does not always adapt in the way that is expected, and that endurance exercise may lead to bone loss under certain conditions. Disruptions in calcium homeostasis during exercise may explain this observation, and preliminary data suggests that the mode of exercise (i.e., cycling versus treadmill) may result in different magnitudes of change in bone biomarkers. The purpose of this study is to determine if mode of exercise results in a differential bone biomarker response to an acute exercise bout in older Veterans. Blood samples will be collected before, during, and after 2 acute exercise bouts: 1) brisk treadmill walking; and 2) vigorous stationary cycling. Bouts will be matched for relative intensity and duration. This data will be used to develop future exercise interventions in older Veterans aimed at preserving both cardiometabolic and bone health.

Detailed description

Endurance exercise is frequently recommended as a means to reduce the risk of cardiometabolic diseases and to reduce the risk of osteoporotic fracture. However, bone does not always adapt in the way that would be expected, and there is evidence that endurance exercise may lead to bone loss under certain conditions. It is the investigators contention that disruptions in calcium homeostasis during exercise, resulting in decreases in serum ionized calcium (iCa) and increases in parathyroid hormone (PTH) and c-telopeptide of type I collagen (CTX; a marker of bone resorption) at the onset of exercise, may be responsible for the lack of improvements in bone mineral density that are anticipated. Acute studies in this area have predominantly focused on young, healthy adults, primarily men, during stationary cycling exercise. Few studies have been conducted in older adults, but those studies have found that older adults experience similar disruptions in calcium homeostasis in response to an acute bout of endurance exercise. Preliminary comparisons of the investigators studies, as well as research from other labs, also suggests that that mode of exercise conducted during these acute exercise bouts may be an important determining factor in the catabolic bone response to exercise. It appears that weight-bearing exercise (i.e., treadmill) results in smaller increases in PTH and CTX compared to weight-supported exercise (i.e., stationary cycling). This has never been tested using a within-subjects design, so it is unclear if these observed differences are due to the mode of exercise, lab-to-lab differences, or other underlying factors. To address this gap in knowledge, 30 Veterans (15 men, 15 women), aged 60+ years, will complete two 1-hour acute exercise bouts: 1) brisk treadmill walking at 70-80% of maximal heart rate; 2) vigorous stationary cycling at 70-80% maximal heart rate. Blood samples will be collected to measure iCa, PTH, CTX and procollagen type I n-terminal propeptide (P1NP) before, during, and after each exercise bout. The order of the exercise bouts will be randomized and counter-balanced. The primary aim is to determine if mode of exercise results in a differential bone biomarker response in older Veterans. This information is essential for understanding how future exercise interventions should be designed to benefit both cardiometabolic health and bone health. This is especially relevant to Veteran health due to the high burden of both cardiometabolic diseases (e.g., diabetes, heart disease) in the population, as well as evidence of increased osteoporotic fracture risk. The proposed research is significant because it is addressing a knowledge gap that has prevented the ability to design exercise and lifestyle interventions aimed at preserving multiple components of Veteran health, which could have a lasting impact on Veteran quality of life and functional independence. The proposed research is innovative because it is testing a novel hypothesis, the mode of exercise on disruptions in calcium homeostasis, in a population that could greatly benefit from the knowledge to be gained. While the proposed research is an acute study, the results generated will be used to design future clinical interventions for Veteran health. Long-term, information gained from this research will help to define the optimal exercise prescription to improve cardiometabolic without compromising bone health aging Veterans.

Interventions

BEHAVIORALExercise Mode

Stationary cycling or treadmill walking

Sponsors

University of Colorado, Denver
CollaboratorOTHER
VA Office of Research and Development
Lead SponsorFED

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
CROSSOVER
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
NONE

Intervention model description

Crossover design comparing mode of endurance exercise (cycling versus treadmill).

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
60 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

* Healthy older (60+ y) Veteran women and men will be eligible to participate * All volunteers must be accustomed to performing 60 minutes of vigorous cycling and treadmill exercise

Exclusion criteria

* impaired renal function, defined as an eGRF of \<60 mL/min/1.73m2;(Florkowski and Chew-Harris 2011) * 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; 5) 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

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
C-telopeptide of Type I Collagen (CTX) ChangeBefore to up to 48 hours after acute exercise boutCTX is a blood marker of bone resorption. Reference range is 0.1-0.8 ng/mL with lower concentrations suggesting less bone resorption.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Procollagen of Type I N-terminal Propeptide (P1NP) ChangeBefore to up to 48 hours after acute exercise boutPINP is a blood marker of bone formation. Reference range is 19-80 ng/mL with lower concentrations suggesting less bone formation.

Countries

United States

Participant flow

Participants by arm

ArmCount
All Study Participants
All participants complete both a stationary cycling and a treadmill walking exercise bout, but the order was randomized.
9
Total9

Baseline characteristics

CharacteristicAll Study Participants
Age, Categorical
<=18 years
0 Participants
Age, Categorical
>=65 years
9 Participants
Age, Categorical
Between 18 and 65 years
0 Participants
Age, Continuous72 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 2
Cardiorespiratory Fitness (VO2peak)25.8 mL/kg/min
STANDARD_DEVIATION 3.5
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)
Hispanic or Latino
2 Participants
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)
Not Hispanic or Latino
7 Participants
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)
Unknown or Not Reported
0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
American Indian or Alaska Native
0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Asian
0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Black or African American
0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
More than one race
1 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Unknown or Not Reported
0 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
White
8 Participants
Region of Enrollment
United States
5 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Female
1 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Male
8 Participants

Adverse events

Event typeEG000
affected / at risk
EG001
affected / at risk
deaths
Total, all-cause mortality
0 / 90 / 9
other
Total, other adverse events
0 / 90 / 9
serious
Total, serious adverse events
0 / 90 / 9

Outcome results

Primary

C-telopeptide of Type I Collagen (CTX) Change

CTX is a blood marker of bone resorption. Reference range is 0.1-0.8 ng/mL with lower concentrations suggesting less bone resorption.

Time frame: Before to up to 48 hours after acute exercise bout

ArmMeasureValue (MEAN)Dispersion
Stationary CyclingC-telopeptide of Type I Collagen (CTX) Change0.09 ng/mLStandard Error 0.06
Treadmill WalkingC-telopeptide of Type I Collagen (CTX) Change0.08 ng/mLStandard Error 0.07
Secondary

Procollagen of Type I N-terminal Propeptide (P1NP) Change

PINP is a blood marker of bone formation. Reference range is 19-80 ng/mL with lower concentrations suggesting less bone formation.

Time frame: Before to up to 48 hours after acute exercise bout

ArmMeasureValue (MEAN)Dispersion
Stationary CyclingProcollagen of Type I N-terminal Propeptide (P1NP) Change-3.1 ng/mLStandard Error 7.8
Treadmill WalkingProcollagen of Type I N-terminal Propeptide (P1NP) Change-1.5 ng/mLStandard Error 7.1

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026