Effectiveness Of Physical Activity And Diet Supplementation On Body Mass Index And Bone Mineral Density Among Premenopausal Women

Background: Osteoporosis is a gradual and systemic skeletal disease with a low bone mass and degradation of bone structures.  The condition occurs even in the premenopausal stage among women.  Hence, the effectiveness of physical activity and diet supplementation on body mass index (BMI) and bone mineral density (BMD) among premenopausal women were studied. 
Methods: Height, weight, BMI and BMD of 150 women (30 to 40 years) were studied before and after intervention.  150 women with low BMD (t-score of - 2.5 to - 1.0) were randomly assigned to control and experimental groups. The experimental group was given physical activity for five days a week and a diet supplement of finger millet-based sweet balls (ragi laddu) for three days a week, for three months. For the diet supplement, a 24-hour recall was performed, and a self-reported activity check list was maintained for physical activity. 
Results: A significant decrease in the weight of experimental group post-test was observed compared to the control group (P = 0.027), without any change in the height.  The BMI of experimental post-test also showed significant decrease compared to the control group (P = 0.050).  The BMD showed significant improvement in the experimental group with a reduction in t-score of 0.81 from – 1.73 in pre-test to – 0.92 in the post-test (P < 0.001), while in the control group, the values remained same (P = 0.928). 
Conclusion: Premenopausal women's BMI decreased and BMD improved significantly in this study Physical activity and supplementation with finger millet diet showed beneficial effects. 
Subjects:  Women’s health, Orthopaedics, Nutrition.