Active not recruitingNAINTERVENTIONAL

Acute Effects of High Impact Exercise on Bone Metabolism

This study aims to understand how a specific type of jumping exercise affects bone health in healthy young men. We're looking at what happens in the blood immediately after a short session of 'drop-landing' exercise, where participants step off a small height and land. The main goal is to see if this type of exercise changes certain natural substances in the blood that are linked to bone strength and growth. We believe this research will help us learn more about how physical activity helps keep our bones healthy and what specific changes happen in the body when we exercise in this way.

At a glance

Status

Active not recruiting

Phase

Sponsor

Loughborough University

Enrolment target

Start

15 Jan 2024

Estimated completion

31 Dec 2025

Health Adults

What is this study about?

Imagine your bones are like a building that needs regular maintenance and signals to stay strong. This study is trying to understand what specific messages and materials are sent around your body, especially to your bones, right after you do a short burst of impact exercise, like jumping or landing. We're particularly interested in how your bones react to this kind of physical activity.

Researchers will ask healthy young men to do a simple ‘drop-landing’ exercise. This involves stepping off a small height and landing gently. Before and after this exercise, blood samples will be taken. By looking at these samples, the team can check for changes in certain natural substances that play a role in bone health. These substances act like messengers, telling your bones to get stronger or repair themselves.

Ultimately, the results of this study could help us better understand how exercise helps maintain strong bones throughout life. By learning more about these internal signals, we might one day be able to develop better ways to encourage good bone health for everyone.

Key takeaways

This study looks at how jumping exercise affects bone health in young men.
It aims to understand what happens in the blood after exercise.
Participants will do a simple 'drop-landing' exercise.
Blood samples will be taken before and after the exercise.
The findings could help us understand how exercise keeps bones strong.

Who may be eligible?

To join this study, participants must be healthy men between 18 and 35 years old. Your weight needs to be in a healthy range for your height (this is measured using something called Body Mass Index, or BMI, which should be between 18.5 and 29.9). You also need to be able to understand and easily follow the study instructions.

There are certain reasons why someone might not be able to join. For example, if you have conditions affecting your heart, lungs, or muscles that would make exercise difficult or unsafe. This also applies if you have any medical conditions already known to affect bone health, such as certain hormone problems.

Also, if you're taking medications that are known to impact your bones (like some medicines for inflammation, thyroid issues, or epilepsy), or if you regularly do a lot of intense exercise (more than once a week) that involves heavy lifting or jumping in the last six months, you wouldn't be able to participate. Smokers or vapers are also not eligible.

Quick self-check

Are you a man aged between 18 and 35?
Are you generally healthy with no serious medical conditions?
Do you have a healthy weight for your height?
Are you able to understand and follow instructions easily?
Have you avoided a lot of intense impact or lifting exercise in the past 6 months?
Are you a non-smoker/non-vaper and not taking bone-affecting medications?

This is a guide only — the research team will confirm whether you can take part.

What does participation involve?

If you decide to take part, you'll visit the study centre on two separate occasions, with at least a week between each visit. During each visit, you'll either do the 'drop-landing' exercise or a control activity (which is a comparison activity that doesn't involve impact). The order of these activities will be chosen randomly, like flipping a coin.

On each visit, you'll have blood samples taken three times: once before the activity, once immediately after, and again one hour after the activity. There are no medications involved in this study. The total duration of your involvement will be over a couple of weeks, with two separate study visits each lasting a few hours for the blood samples and exercise.

Potential risks and benefits

Potential benefits of taking part include contributing to important research that could improve our understanding of bone health and how exercise helps. There are no direct personal health benefits expected from participating. Potential risks are generally low, mainly related to the minor discomfort or bruising from blood samples, and the very small chance of muscle soreness from the exercise. You will be carefully monitored during the exercise. Remember, you can choose to withdraw from the study at any time, for any reason, without it affecting your medical care.

Locations (1)

Loughborough University
Loughborough, United Kingdom

Common questions

What is 'drop-landing' exercise?

It's a simple exercise where you step off a small height and land gently, like stepping off a low box.

What are 'bone metabolism biomarkers'?

These are natural substances in your blood that tell us how your bones are breaking down, repairing, and growing.

Will I get my blood test results?

The study collects results for research purposes, not for individual health checks. You won't receive your personal blood test results.

Do I need to be very fit to join?

You need to be generally healthy and able to do moderate exercise, but you don't need to be an athlete.

How long will each study visit take?

Each visit will likely take a few hours to allow for blood samples and the exercise activity.