Publications by authors named "Th Suominen"
Purpose: While weight-bearing physical activity (PA) benefits bone health, it remains unclear whether PA can counteract hormone-driven menopausal bone deterioration. This secondary analysis of a population-based prospective follow-up study examined changes in bone health indicators around menopause and evaluated whether accelerometer-measured habitual skeletal loading is associated with these changes.
Methods: A total of 189 initially perimenopausal women without estrogen therapy (mean age 52 [SD 2] years) were followed until they became postmenopausal (mean follow-up time 15 [9] months).
Correlates of active commuting to school across two generations: the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study.
Scand J Public Health
December 2024
Aims: Active commuting to school (ACS), a source of physical activity (PA), has declined in many countries over recent decades. This study investigates ACS and the factors associated with it among Finnish children and adolescents across two generations: those born between 1965-74 and 1998-2010. We also explore potential generational differences in these associations.
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- The study analyzed how participation in sports during youth affects physical activity levels in adulthood, surveying over 2,500 youths and about 1,000 adults.
- Three main patterns of sports participation emerged: "organized sports," "unorganized sports," and "low activity," with varying percentages among males and females in each category.
- Youth involvement in "organized sports" was linked to significantly higher activity levels in adulthood, while "unorganized sports" also contributed positively for females compared to those with low activity levels.
Age-related bone loss is to some extent unavoidable, but it may be decelerated with regular exercise continued into older age. Daily physical activity alongside structured exercise may be an important stimulus for maintaining bone strength, but the relationships of habitual physical activity with bone strength are sparsely investigated in older adults. Therefore, the main aim was to investigate if accelerometer-derived impact-based and intensity-minute-based measures of physical activity were associated with changes in femoral neck bone traits during a 12-month exercise intervention among community-dwelling older men and women.
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- High-intensity strength and impact training can positively influence bone health in older adults, but there's a lack of long-term research on its effects.
- A 10-year follow-up study with male sprinters aged 40-85 compared those actively training with strength and sprinting to those who switched to less intense training.
- Results showed that the well-trained group maintained or improved bone health, while the less-trained group experienced a decline, highlighting the importance of continuous high-intensity training for better bone aging outcomes.
Background: Predictors of bone deterioration after hip fracture have not been well characterized. The aim of this study was to examine the associations of physical function and lean body mass (LBM) with loss of bone density and strength in older people recovering from a hip fracture.
Methods: A total of 81 over 60-year-old, community-dwelling men and women operated for a hip fracture participated in this 1-year prospective follow-up study.
Weight-bearing physical activity may decrease or prevent bone deterioration after hip fracture. This study investigated the effects of a home-based physical rehabilitation program on tibial bone traits in older hip fracture patients. A population-based clinical sample of men and women operated for hip fracture (mean age 80 years, 78% women) was randomly assigned into an intervention (= 40) and a standard care control group (= 41) on average 10 weeks postfracture.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUnlabelled: This randomized, controlled, high-intensity strength and sprint training trial in middle-aged and older male sprint athletes showed significant improvements in mid-tibial structure and strength. The study reveals the adaptability of aging bone, suggesting that through a novel, intensive training stimulus it is possible to strengthen bones during aging.
Introduction: High-load, high-speed and impact-type exercise may be an efficient way of improving bone strength even in old age.