Daily activities lack in the battle against menopause bone loss

According to Finnish researchers, leisure walking, housework and light exercise that constitute the daily habits of most women are not enough to protect bones during menopause.

With the arrival of the Northern Hemisphere in spring, many women over 45 years old may be resuming outdoor activities in the winter. However, a new study from the University of Jyväskylä shows that this routine exercise, while beneficial to general health, does not prevent accelerated bone weakness as estrogen levels drop.

The study followed nearly 200 women through menopause transition, using an accelerometer to measure the amount and intensity of the impact of bone load they encounter in their daily lives, while also monitoring changes in bone strength at several key locations.

The challenges they found challenged traditional ideas about physical activity and bone health at this stage of life. While previous studies have shown that bone load movement can slow age-related bone weakness, the Finnish team found no evidence that hormone-driven bone loss specific to menopause can slow down menopause even if daily activities include moderate effects.

“We observed that high intensity effects are rare in daily life,” Suominen noted. This scarcity may explain why the skeletal benefits that are often associated with physical exercise during menopause are not achieved.

The study was conducted on average in 189 perimenopause women aged 47 to 55 years old until they reached postmenopausal. During this period, complex imaging techniques measured changes in bone mineral density and structural properties of femoral neck (hip), femoral axis (thigh bone), and tibial axis (Shin Bone).

The results showed that although the participants had different daily physical exercise, the continuous decrease in bone strength was observed at all measured sites. Although the effects of moderate and high intensity are positively correlated with bone strength, they do not prevent menopause decline.

For millions of women currently approaching or experiencing menopause, these findings highlight the need for more targeted exercise interventions. Standard daily activity recommendations may not address specific skeletal challenges of menopause transition.

The study also highlights the disturbing reality – high-impact activities that may help protect bones are extremely rare in most women’s daily work. Even in this relatively active study population, participants had very little bone strength during their daily activities.

These findings emerged against the backdrop of rising global osteoporosis rates. According to the International Osteoporosis Foundation, one in three women over 50 will experience osteoporotic fractures throughout their lives, and menopause is the main trigger for accelerated bone loss.

This study is part of a larger ERMA study led by Associate Professor Eija Laakkonen and funded by the Finnish Academy. The team used advanced technology to monitor participants, including an accelerometer to calculate daily effects, dual-energy X-ray absorbers to measure hip bone density and computed tomography to evaluate structural bone properties.

For women who are now navigating during menopause, researchers suggest that more professional exercise methods may be needed. “Future research should also look at whether more targeted bone load movements slow down accelerated bone attenuation during menopause,” Suominen said.

As bone health experts continue to explore the best exercise protocols for menopausal women, the study is both a reality check and a call for action to conduct more effective interventions during this critical life transition.