Effects of walking and sun exposure on bone density and balance in elderly with osteopenia.

Introduction: Bone mineral density (BMD) decreases with age, leading to fractures, decreased mobility, and impaired quality of life. We aimed to determine the effects of brisk walking and exposure to sunlight on BMD and balance in the elderly with osteopenia.

Materials And Methods: We recruited 81 elderly subjects with osteopenia from January 2019 to March 2019. They were divided into four groups: a daytime-walking group (n = 20), a night-time-walking group (n = 20), a sun-exposure-only group (n = 20), and a control group (n = 21). The subjects walked briskly for 30-60 min three times a week for 24 weeks. The sun-exposure-only group received sunlight for 20-30 min three times a week. All four groups received supplemental calcium. Lumbar L1-L4 BMD, serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D3, timed-up-go-test (TUGT), five-times-sit-stand-test (FTSST), open-eye and closed-eye one-leg-stance-test (OLST) were measured at baseline and 1 day after program completion.

Results: The lumbar L1-L4 BMD was higher in all intervention groups (P < 0.05), with the daytime-walking group outperforming the others. There was no significant difference between the night-time-walking and sun-exposure-only groups (P > 0.05). The levels of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 in the daytime-walking and sun-exposure-only groups were higher than those in the night-time-walking and control groups (P < 0.05). The TUGT and FTSST times decreased in all three intervention groups and predominantly so in the daytime-walking group, whereas the open-eye and closed-eye OLST times increased (P < 0.05).

Conclusion: Brisk walking and sun exposure increase BMD and improve dynamic and static balance in the elderly with osteopenia.