BONE MINERAL DENSITY AND BODY COMPOSITION IN ELDERLY RUNNERS: SIX-YEAR FOLLOW-UP

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate bone mineral density (BMD) and body composition over a six-year period in elderly long-distance runners. METHODS: We analyzed the medical records of elderly athletes who were long-distance runners, were participants of the IOT-HCFMUSP Orthogeriatric Group, and had their BMD evaluated between 2001 and 2007; of these athletes, 11 were included in the study. Inclusion criteria: athletes should be long-distance runners, should not stop long-distance running during the six-year period, and should have undergone BMD and body composition evaluations. Body composition was evaluated using bone densitometry with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry with a Lunar-DPX device. RESULTS: Over the six-year period, body composition remained stable, but there was a significant increase only in the fat percentage (p = 0.003). CONCLUSION: Long-distance running may maintain BMD but may lead to an increase in the fat percentage in elderly runners. Level of Evidence II; Prognostic Study - Investigating the Effect of Patient Characteristics on Disease Outcome.