Effectiveness of Physical Activity and Finger Millet-Based Food Supplement on Biochemical Parameters and Bone Mineral Density among Premenopausal Women
Golda Sahaya Rani, Aruna Swaminathan, R. Vijayaraghavan
Abstract
The effectiveness of physical activity and finger millet-based food supplement on biochemical parameters and bone mineral density (BMD) among premenopausal women were studied. Serum calcium, phosphorus, alkaline phosphatase, and BMD of 720 women (30–40 years) were analyzed. From them, 150 women with low BMD (t-score, −1 to −2.5) and low calcium (<9.0 mg/dL) were randomized to control and experimental groups, equally. The experimental group was given 5 days per week physical activity, for 3 months, and a diet supplement of finger millet-based sweet balls (ragi laddu), 3 days per week for 3 months. The above parameters were measured as the posttest. Physical activity was assessed by the General Practice Physical Activity Questionnaire. A 24 h recall assessment was carried out for the diet supplement, and self-reported activity checklist was maintained for physical activity. Among 720 women, 163 (22.6%) showed BMD, t-score < −1.0, and calcium <9.0 mg/dL <a:math xmlns:a="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" id="M1"> <a:mfenced open="(" close=")" separators="|"> <a:mrow> <a:mi>p</a:mi> <a:mo><</a:mo> <a:mn>0.001</a:mn> </a:mrow> </a:mfenced> </a:math> . The serum phosphorus and alkaline phosphatase were also low <f:math xmlns:f="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" id="M2"> <f:mfenced open="(" close=")" separators="|"> <f:mrow> <f:mi>p</f:mi> <f:mo><</f:mo> <f:mn>0.001</f:mn> </f:mrow> </f:mfenced> </f:math> . After the supplementation to the experimental group, all the biochemical parameters, BMD, and physical activity score showed significant improvement in the posttest <k:math xmlns:k="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" id="M3"> <k:mfenced open="(" close=")" separators="|"> <k:mrow> <k:mi>p</k:mi> <k:mo><</k:mo> <k:mn>0.001</k:mn> </k:mrow> </k:mfenced> </k:math> . This study showed significantly low BMD and calcium among premenopausal women. Physical activity and finger millet supplement improved the calcium level and BMD.