Resistance exercise plus osteoporosis medication to protect bones during weight loss in older adults
Official title: Exercise and Bisphosphonate Use to Minimize Weight Loss Associated Bone Loss among Older Adults
Funded at Wake Forest University · NIH-11179404 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at whether strength-focused exercise combined with a common osteoporosis drug helps older adults keep bone density while losing weight.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Wake Forest University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Winston-Salem, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2022 |
| Project end | August 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $1,228,924 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AG074979-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11179404 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants are older adults planning or undergoing intentional dietary weight loss who are willing to follow supervised resistance and bone-loading exercise and consider taking a bisphosphonate medication.
✕Less likely to help
People who are not trying to lose weight, who have contraindications to bisphosphonates, or who already take other osteoporosis treatments may not benefit from joining this specific trial.
What this research studies
You would join a year-long program that combines a supervised resistance and bone-loading exercise plan with a dietary weight-loss program. Participants are randomly assigned in a 2x2 design to exercise or not and to receive a bisphosphonate pill or not, so some people get both interventions, one, or neither. Study staff will measure bone density and other health outcomes over 12 months to see how bones change during weight loss. The goal is to find practical ways to prevent bone loss that can happen when older adults lose weight.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could help older adults lose weight without losing as much bone, lowering fracture risk.
How similar studies have gone: Previous studies suggest resistance training can help preserve bone in weight-stable older adults and may reduce bone loss during weight loss, but results have been mixed and the added benefit of combining exercise with bisphosphonates has not been firmly tested.
Where this research is happening
-
Wake Forest University
Winston-Salem, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Beavers, Kristen Marie — Wake Forest University
- Study coordinator: Beavers, Kristen Marie
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.