SDU Researchers Collaborate to Improve Women’s Bone Health
Is medicine or physical exercise training better for keeping bones strong – or perhaps a combination of both? This question will be investigated in a new project supported by the Novo Nordisk Foundation, focusing on women aged 45-60.
Professors Krustrup and Kassem met through their work at the Danish Institute for Advanced Study (DIAS) at SDU, where the idea for a joint project emerged. For the first time, the project will directly compare the physical benefits of playing football with those of a preventive medical treatment.
About the RapaLoad Research Project
The RapaLoad research project has received 8,852,000 DKK from the Novo Nordisk Foundation to investigate how two different “anti-aging” interventions can affect muscles and bones in postmenopausal women, i.e., women who have passed through menopause.
Moustapha Kassem is a professor and consultant at the Department of Endocrinology at Odense University Hospital and the research leader of the unit working with molecular and cellular methods to develop new treatments for osteoporosis at the Clinical Institute, SDU.
-In this project, we are collaborating with sports researchers to explore new ways to prevent bone and muscle loss in postmenopausal women. Bone and muscle loss increase their risk of developing osteoporosis, which was previously best known as brittle bones, he explains.
Medical Treatment with Everolimus
One of the two interventions is treatment with the drug everolimus, which half of the 136 women in the study will take.
- Everolimus is a medicine that has been shown in low doses to strengthen the immune system in humans and prevent ageing processes in animal studies. Currently, it is used in higher doses as an immunosuppressive treatment for patients who have undergone organ transplantation, says Moustapha Kassem.
Recreational Football as an Alternative Treatment
The other intervention being tested in the project is recreational football. Here, the participants will train twice a week for one hour, including injury-preventive warm-up, football drills, and small-sided games. This form of recreational football is called Football Fitness and was developed in collaboration between the Danish Football Association (DBU) and Peter Krustrup’s research group.
- We have repeatedly demonstrated that football training has significant health benefits, and we can rightly say that 'football is medicine'. It will be incredibly exciting to compare it directly with medicine in this project and to explore whether there are complementary effects when combining football training with tablet medication, says Peter Krustrup, Professor of Sport and Health Sciences at the Department of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics at SDU.
Four Research Groups to Test Different Approaches
The women in the project, all aged between 45 and 60 and postmenopausal, will be divided into four groups.
Two of the groups will play football, with one of these groups also taking medication. One group will receive medication only, while the final group will serve as a control group, neither taking medication nor playing football.
Testing Methods and Measurements During the Project
Before, during, and after the trial, participants will have their bone turnover, bone density, bone mass, muscle strength, and muscle mass tested.
- Bone turnover refers to the balance between the breakdown and formation of bone tissue, and the ability to rebuild new bones decreases with age, which can lead to osteoporosis, explains Florence Figeac, Associate Professor at the endocrinology department of the OUH and daily leader of the project.
- The current medical strategy for osteoporosis is based on treating the disease rather than preventing it. Positive outcomes in our project will allow us to make a significant difference for women´s bone health after menopause.
How do we know if it works?
During the football training, advanced movement analyses will be conducted to investigate how deceleration, changes of direction, sprinting, and football-specific actions such as passing and shooting impact the training effects on muscles and bones.
The football training takes place at the Department of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics at SDU in Odense, while the various tests will be conducted partly in laboratories at Odense University Hospital and partly at the Department of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics.
Meet the researcher
Moustapha Kassem is a Professor and Head of Research at the Department of Clinical Research. His field of research is endocrinology. He is also affiliated with the Danish Institute for Advanced Study (DIAS).
Meet the researcher
Peter Krustrup is a Professor and Head of Research at the Department of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics. His field of research is sport and health. He is also affiliated with the Danish Institute for Advanced Study (DIAS).
Meet the researcher
Florence Figeac is an Associate Professor at Odense University Hospital and a Visiting Researcher at the Department of Clinical Research. She is the daily manager of the project.