Weight-bearing and resistance physical activities are recommended for osteoporosis prevention, but it is unclear whether an intensity level above current recommendations has a positive effect on adult premenopausal women. Body composition and bone mineral density (BMD) by DXA were compared in three groups of women as follows: Sedentary, Maintenance exercise, and federated Sport Team ( for each group). Physical activity was estimated from the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). The groups did not differ in age, height, weight, or body mass index. Bone mineral content and non-fat soft tissue mass were higher and fat mass was lower in the Sport Team group than in the other groups. The same was true for BMD of total skeleton, lumbar spine, femoral neck, and total hip. A test for linear trend of body composition and BMD showed significant results when including all three groups. Simple and multiple regression analyses showed significant associations between physical activity level (or alternatively, years of participation in programmed physical activity) and bone mass measures at all sites except for the middle third of radius. It is concluded that a level of physical activity higher than that usually recommended benefits bone health in adult premenopausal women. 1. Introduction Osteoporosis is a major public health problem worldwide [1]. Although there are effective treatments, primary prevention, mostly based on lifestyle changes, remains an essential goal to prevent both osteoporosis and its most serious consequence, namely, fragility fractures. Lifestyle changes include keeping a low alcohol intake, abstaining from smoking, maintaining adequate calcium, vitamin D, and protein intake, and, last but not least, increasing physical activity [2]. Regularly performing weight-bearing and resistance exercises is a major lifestyle measure for osteoporosis prevention [3]. Physical activity may increase peak bone mass in children and adolescents [4]. In postmenopausal women, regular physical activity is useful for improving muscle strength and preventing falls, which is important because most fragility fractures are related to falls [2]. The role of exercise in young adult women has been less explored [5], but current evidence suggests that it has a role in maintaining or even augmenting bone mass [6, 7]. Although the importance of physical activity is clearly emphasized by most guidelines, some of these fail to address what its desirable frequency and duration are [8, 9]. A brochure from the National Institutes of Health states the following:
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