Effects of BioDensity Training on Bone Adaptations in Young Women: A Pilot Study

Osteopenia and osteoporosis are a major public health issue in the United States, and current research suggests that moderate to high intensity resistance training is the most effective type of exercise for maintaining bone mineral density (BMD). Sclerostin is a protein secreted by osteocytes which potently inhibits bone formation by binding to the LRP4 in Wnt/β-catenin signaling. BioDensity is a novel resistance training machine that consists of four exercises performed for five seconds each, which applies mechanical loading to the bone and provides a quicker alternative to traditional resistance training. PURPOSE: To examine the effects of 12 weeks of supervised bioDensity training on BMD and sclerostin in young women. METHODS: Nine healthy, young female participants were recruited for the 1-repetition (1-REP) group, and another seven participants were recruited for the 2-repetition (2-REP) group with similar age, weight, height, and ethnicity. They underwent 12 weeks of supervised bioDensity training, once a week. Before and after the intervention, total body composition and BMD at major sites were measured by DXA and serum sclerostin levels were measured in ELISA. Independent sample t-test was used to compare the baseline between groups, and mixed measure ANOVA was used to compare the effects of training within and between groups. RESULTS: We did not find significant time, group, or time x group interaction effects in BMD or serum sclerostin levels after 12-week bioDensity training. There is a large effect size of time (η2 = .214) at lumbar spine BMD after adjusting for height, and medium effect size of time (η2 = .108) in sclerostin levels. No significant differences were found in the percent change of BMD, while the effect size between the two groups was large. CONCLUSION: Although no statistical changes of BMD and sclerostin were observed, the medium to large effect sizes in our pilot study suggest a potential training effect. The bioDensity exercise regimen is feasible and well tolerated in young women

Effects of bioDensity Training on Lipid Profile in Young Women: A Pilot Study

bioDensity training is a novel type of resistance exercise, which includes four basic isometric exercises in a subsequent fashion: chest press, leg press, core pull, and vertical lift. Although it’s primarily targeted on bone strength, a previous study showed that it improved HbA1C, fasting glucose, HDL, LDL and total cholesterol in elderly patients with Type 2 diabetes (Zheng et al. 2019). To date, the research on bioDensity training is limited, and its effects on a healthy population are unknown. PURPOSE: We are looking to examine the effects of 12-week bioDensity training on lipid profiles in young women. METHODS: Twelve young, healthy women, between the ages 18-30 years old completed this study. They were matched to 1-repetition group (1-REP, n=6) and 2-repetition group (2-REP, n=6) based on their age, weight and height. Both groups performed the bioDensity training protocol, either one repetition or 2 repetitions, once a week for 12 weeks. Two fasting blood samples were taken from the participants, both before and after the bioDensity training intervention. Whole blood was analyzed via the Lipid Panel Plus kit in Piccolo Express chemistry analyzer, including total cholesterol (CHOL), HDL, Triglycerides (TRIG), LDL, VLDL, Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT), Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST), and glucose (GLU). Independent sample t-test was used to compare the baseline between both groups, and mixed measure ANOVA (2x2) was used to compare the effects of time, group, and time x group interaction. RESULTS: We found significant time x group interactions in TRIG (p = .04) and VLDL (p = .028). Although there are no statistically significant differences, there is a large time effect in LDL (η2 = .246) and a large group effect in ALT (η2=.235). In addition, there are large effects of time x group interaction in HDL, ALT, AST, and Glucose despite no statistically significant differences. TRIG and VLDL significantly decreased in the 1-REP group after training, whereas AST significantly decreased in the 2-REP group after training. CONCLUSION: Our pilot data suggests that bioDensity training has potential beneficial effects on specific lipids. A larger sample size and manipulation of the training protocol are needed to further confirm the results from the study