Brisk walking increases bone mineral density in cART-patients?

Introduction In the general population, moderate intensity aerobic activity reduces the risk of obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and may prevent bone loss. We evaluated the effects of brisk walking, with or without strength exercise, on bone mineral density in HIV-infected treated persons. Methods Thirty-four HIV-infected, cART-treated, sedentary subjects with were enrolled in a 12-week exercise program, consisting of 3 outdoor sessions/week of 60 min walking at 65-75% of HR (heart rate) max ± 30 min circuit training at 65% of 1-RM (Repetition Maximum). Subjects were examined at baseline (BL) and 12 weeks (W12) by 6-minute walking test (6MWT), 1-RM test; and by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) to evaluate lumbar spine and femoral bone mineral density, and t- and z-scores, in addition to morphometric (BMI, waist, hip and legcircumference) and bloodexamination (cytometry, fastingtotal, HDL and LDL cholesterol, tryglicerides, glucose, insulin; AST/ALT, ALP, gGT, creatinine, CPK, HbA1c; CD4+ and CD8+, plasma HIV-RNA). Differences between BL and W12 were tested by Wilcoxon-signed rank test. Results Thirty-two of 34 (94%) participants completed the 12-week program with a median adherence of 64% (IQR 56-77). They were 25M, 7F; median 48 y-o, IQR 44-54. Twenty patients were enrolled in the ’walk” group and 12 in the ’walk and strength’ group. At W12, participants showed significant improvement of distance by 6MWT (p