Brisk walking and jogging may be among the most effective types of physical activity for maintaining bone mineral density in people over 40, according to the results of a large meta-analysis published on September 9, 2026 in the scientific journal BMJ.
As reported by ScienceAlert, researchers analyzed 124 randomized clinical trials involving 18,429 people aged 40 and over. Scientists compared different types of exercise, including walking, running, strength training, aerobic exercise, yoga and combined programs.
The main indicator was bone mineral density in the lumbar spine, femoral neck and hip joint. A decrease in this indicator with age is associated with an increased risk of osteoporosis and fractures.
Brisk walking and jogging showed the best results for bone density. For the lumbar spine, they provided an average improvement of approximately 0.013 g/cm² compared to the control group. A combination of aerobic and strength training showed a similar result.
For the femoral neck, brisk walking or running was associated with an improvement of approximately 0.009 g/cm². A positive effect was also observed for the so-called mind-body practices, which include, in particular, yoga and similar types of training.
Researchers also tried to determine the optimal amount of physical activity. The analysis showed that a noticeable effect for bone tissue begins to appear at about the level of 600 MET-minutes per week. This roughly corresponds to about two to three hours of brisk walking or jogging per week, although the exact amount of time depends on the intensity of the exercise.
The authors of the paper note that structured exercise can modestly but clinically significantly slow the age-related decline in bone mineral density in the lumbar spine, femoral neck, and hip. joints.
At the same time, the effect of training varied depending on the age and other characteristics of the participants. The changes in bone density were more pronounced in middle-aged and normal-weight people, while the results were weaker in older participants and people with excess body weight. The authors emphasize that these subgroup findings have limited validity and should not be used as ready-made individual recommendations without additional research.
Scientists separately analyzed the risk of fractures. This analysis included 26 studies with 11,132 participants. Some combined aerobic programs and mind-body exercises have shown a potential reduction in fracture risk, but the evidence base has been less clear.
Experts also caution that increased bone mineral density does not always directly translate to the same reduction in fracture risk. For example, brisk walking showed some of the best results for bone density, but no statistically significant reduction in fractures was found in this group.
The study authors rate the overall validity of some of the results as low to moderate and stress that more research is needed to make precise recommendations about the type and "dose" of exercise.
Primary study: BMJ - Effect of exercise on bone health in middle aged and older adults.
