20% Caloric Restriction did not Impact Bone Health nor Exercise-Induced Elevations in Bone Mass in Young Female Rats

Authors

Ken D. Sumida, Chapman UniversityFollow
Brady Slater, Chapman University
Haley Folta, Chapman University
Kassandra Lee, Chapman University
Sarina Karwande, Chapman University
Quinton Wong, Chapman University
S. Victoria Jaque, California State University, Northridge
Frank Frisch, Chapman UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-17-2026

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine if a 6-week 20% caloric restrictive (CR) diet, with or without resistance training, would impact bone health in growing young female rats. Forty female rats (~ 5 wks old) were randomly divided into the following groups: baseline (n = 8), sedentary fed a normal diet (N, n = 8), sedentary fed a 20% CR diet (D, n = 8), resistance trained fed a normal diet (NT, n = 8), and resistance trained fed a 20% CR diet (DT, n = 8). The exercise groups were conditioned to climb a vertical ladder 4 consecutive times (per exercise session) with weights appended to their tail 3 days/wk for a total of 6 wks. Tibial bone mineral density (BMD) was assessed via dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry scans. After 6 wks, the body mass (mean ± SD) for CR fed groups (D = 232.6 ± 26.3 g & DT = 216.6 ± 17.9 g) were significantly lower than the normal fed groups (N = 266.1 ± 31.5 g & NT = 251.9 ± 23.4 g). Tibial BMD (in g/cm²) for the sedentary CR group (D = 0.184 ± 0.005) was not significantly different compared to the sedentary normal fed group (N = 0.184 ± 0.010). Resistance training resulted in an elevation in BMD (NT = 0.195 ± 0.011 & DT = 0.192 ± 0.004) compared to the sedentary groups). The results indicate that during the growth period in young female rats, a 20% CR diet did not impact tibia BMD, nor did CR alter the resistance training-induced elevation in BMD.

Comments

This article was originally published in Calcified Tissue International , volume 117, issue 1, in 2026. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00223-025-01469-4

Recommended Citation

Sumida KD, Slater B, Folta H, et al. 20% Caloric Restriction did not Impact Bone Health nor Exercise-Induced Elevations in Bone Mass in Young Female Rats. Calcif Tissue Int. 2026;117(1):11. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00223-025-01469-4

Peer Reviewed

1

Copyright

The authors

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.