Exercise improves bone density in adolescents

with anorexia nervosa

By Chloe Cox | June 3, 2020

Exercise participation in team sports may increase bone density among teams with anorexia
nervosa, according to a study published last week in the Eating and Weight Disorders Journal.

The study found that in young patients with anorexia nervosa, duration of exercise and sports
team activities could be responsible for an increase in bone mineral density, a common medical
consequence of the disorder leading to weaker bone structure and increased susceptibility to
stress fractures.

This study is the first of its kind and opens the door for exploring alternative methods for
improving the health and quality of life for adolescences with common eating disorders.

The study compared bone mineral density measured by using a highly sensitive dual-energy x-
ray absorptiometry (DXA) machine to self-reported exercise in 188 participants between the
ages of 9 and 20.

Increased exercise duration was associated with higher hip bone mineral density, while
participation in team sports was associated with higher whole-body bone mineral density.

People with anorexia nervosa have an increased risk for fractures stemming from hormone
alterations and long-term energy deficiency. Therefore, the study’s results suggest that exercise
may provide bone related benefits and protection from fractures to the hip and other parts of
the body with greater bone mineral deficits.

Premenopausal females with anorexia nervosa are two to three times more likely to suffer from
low bone density than female athletes. In this important period of bone development, females
with anorexia nervosa will not develop a healthy and strong body composition like their female
athlete counterparts.

Interestingly, though malnourished, people with anorexia nervosa may still be able to develop
muscle mass through increased duration of exercise according to the study’s finding positive
association between hours of exercise and lean body mass.

Clinicians can ensure patients with anorexia nervosa are medically and psychologically stable to
participate in exercises and consider the risks and benefits it may have on bone health. Patients
with a slower heart rate, absence of period and low-calorie intake from anorexia nervosa may
not benefit overall from the results of this study.
The participants of the study consisted of 178 females and 10 males, limiting the
generalizability to mainly females with anorexia nervosa, though no sex differences were found.
The study solely asked how many hours the participant participated in exercise therefore future
studies may be able to study if specific exercises benefit bone mineral density more than
others.

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