Exercise interventions to improve bone mineral density in athletes participating in low-impact sports: a scoping review

Abstract Background Athletes participating in low-impact sports such as cycling and swimming are at increased risk for low bone mineral density, which may lead to long-term health issues. Exercise is known to increase bone mineral density, but there is little knowledge of the effects of this in athl...

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Main Authors: Anders Gulbrandsen Florvåg, Øyvind Angelshaug Berg, Ola Drange Røksund, Gøril Tvedten Jorem, Bård Erik Bogen
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2025-01-01
Series:BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12891-025-08316-5
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author Anders Gulbrandsen Florvåg
Øyvind Angelshaug Berg
Ola Drange Røksund
Gøril Tvedten Jorem
Bård Erik Bogen
author_facet Anders Gulbrandsen Florvåg
Øyvind Angelshaug Berg
Ola Drange Røksund
Gøril Tvedten Jorem
Bård Erik Bogen
author_sort Anders Gulbrandsen Florvåg
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Background Athletes participating in low-impact sports such as cycling and swimming are at increased risk for low bone mineral density, which may lead to long-term health issues. Exercise is known to increase bone mineral density, but there is little knowledge of the effects of this in athletes participating in low-impact sports. This review aims to identify potential exercise interventions that could improve bone health in these athletes. Methods There appears to be little research on this topic, and we addressed the research question using a scoping review to get a broad overview of the research literature. The scoping review was conducted following the methodological framework of Arksey and O´Malley. A literature search was conducted May 2024 in SPORTDiscus, Web of Science, Scopus, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cinahl, Cochrane, and Google Scholar. The Consensus on Exercise Reporting Template was used to evaluate the reporting of the exercise intervention(s). Results A total of 2528 studies were screened and assessed for eligibility. Five studies met the inclusion criteria reporting results of exercise interventions on bone mineral density in cyclists and swimmers. Different designs were applied, and study populations varied. Five populations were explored; one cohort of adolescent swimmers (both sexes), one cohort of female Olympic artistic swimmers, one cohort of elite road cyclists (both sexes), one cohort of male competitive amateur cyclists, and one cohort of trained to well-trained cyclists (both sexes). Conclusion This scoping review found that resistance training, plyometric exercises, whole-body vibration, and a combined jumping exercise with collagen supplementation show promising results in improving bone mineral density in athletes participating in cycling and swimming. However, there is limited evidence due to few identified studies, with varying study designs and inconsistent exercise reporting, highlighting the need of further research to better understand how different training approaches can improve bone health in these athletes.
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spelling doaj-art-88c7dc71524641669d4cbfe8b8be9d742025-01-26T12:10:11ZengBMCBMC Musculoskeletal Disorders1471-24742025-01-012611910.1186/s12891-025-08316-5Exercise interventions to improve bone mineral density in athletes participating in low-impact sports: a scoping reviewAnders Gulbrandsen Florvåg0Øyvind Angelshaug Berg1Ola Drange Røksund2Gøril Tvedten Jorem3Bård Erik Bogen4Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, Western Norway University of Applied SciencesFaculty of Health and Social Sciences, Western Norway University of Applied SciencesFaculty of Health and Social Sciences, Western Norway University of Applied SciencesResearch support. Bergen, Western Norway University of Applied SciencesDepartment of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of BergenAbstract Background Athletes participating in low-impact sports such as cycling and swimming are at increased risk for low bone mineral density, which may lead to long-term health issues. Exercise is known to increase bone mineral density, but there is little knowledge of the effects of this in athletes participating in low-impact sports. This review aims to identify potential exercise interventions that could improve bone health in these athletes. Methods There appears to be little research on this topic, and we addressed the research question using a scoping review to get a broad overview of the research literature. The scoping review was conducted following the methodological framework of Arksey and O´Malley. A literature search was conducted May 2024 in SPORTDiscus, Web of Science, Scopus, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cinahl, Cochrane, and Google Scholar. The Consensus on Exercise Reporting Template was used to evaluate the reporting of the exercise intervention(s). Results A total of 2528 studies were screened and assessed for eligibility. Five studies met the inclusion criteria reporting results of exercise interventions on bone mineral density in cyclists and swimmers. Different designs were applied, and study populations varied. Five populations were explored; one cohort of adolescent swimmers (both sexes), one cohort of female Olympic artistic swimmers, one cohort of elite road cyclists (both sexes), one cohort of male competitive amateur cyclists, and one cohort of trained to well-trained cyclists (both sexes). Conclusion This scoping review found that resistance training, plyometric exercises, whole-body vibration, and a combined jumping exercise with collagen supplementation show promising results in improving bone mineral density in athletes participating in cycling and swimming. However, there is limited evidence due to few identified studies, with varying study designs and inconsistent exercise reporting, highlighting the need of further research to better understand how different training approaches can improve bone health in these athletes.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12891-025-08316-5Bone densityCyclingExerciseOsteopeniaOsteoporosisSwimming
spellingShingle Anders Gulbrandsen Florvåg
Øyvind Angelshaug Berg
Ola Drange Røksund
Gøril Tvedten Jorem
Bård Erik Bogen
Exercise interventions to improve bone mineral density in athletes participating in low-impact sports: a scoping review
BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders
Bone density
Cycling
Exercise
Osteopenia
Osteoporosis
Swimming
title Exercise interventions to improve bone mineral density in athletes participating in low-impact sports: a scoping review
title_full Exercise interventions to improve bone mineral density in athletes participating in low-impact sports: a scoping review
title_fullStr Exercise interventions to improve bone mineral density in athletes participating in low-impact sports: a scoping review
title_full_unstemmed Exercise interventions to improve bone mineral density in athletes participating in low-impact sports: a scoping review
title_short Exercise interventions to improve bone mineral density in athletes participating in low-impact sports: a scoping review
title_sort exercise interventions to improve bone mineral density in athletes participating in low impact sports a scoping review
topic Bone density
Cycling
Exercise
Osteopenia
Osteoporosis
Swimming
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s12891-025-08316-5
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