Calcified Tissue International · Jun 25, 2026

Effects of High-Impact Exercise on Bone Marker Concentrations During Controlled Low Energy Availability in Recreational Female Runners

By Sterringer T, Sale C, Morozov A et al.

Exposure to low energy availability (LEA) can stimulate metabolic adaptations that have been shown to disrupt bone remodeling as suggested by suppressed markers of bone formation and/or increased markers of bone resorption. Previous studies suggest that brief, high-impact exercise during short-term energy restriction may stimulate an osteogenic response and mitigate the negative effect of LEA on bone health. This randomized, crossover study of twelve recreational female runners (age: 26.4 ± 3.9 years, VO2max: 45.3 ± 7.2 mL/kg/min) assessed the short-term effects of jumping exercises on markers of bone formation and resorption after five days of experimentally-controlled LEA (15 kcal/kgFFM/d). Participants completed two LEA conditions that involved daily treadmill running with either no additional exercise (RUN) or an additional 50 jump exercises per day (RUN + J). Fasted bone markers and hormone concentrations were measured on the mornings immediately before and after each intervention period. Bone resorption marker β-CTX was increased over time in both LEA conditions (main effect of time: P = 0.005; preRUN: 0.32 ± 0.21, postRUN: 0.36 ± 0.15 ng/mL; preRUN + J: 0.38 ± 0.21, postRUN + J: 0.42 ± 0.19 ng/mL) with no interaction effect (P = 0.716). Bone formation biomarkers, PINP and sclerostin, did not change over time (P = 0.517, P = 0.091) or between conditions (P = 0.187, P = 0.666). In conclusion, performing 50 jumping exercises during short-term LEA did not have an effect on markers of bone resorption or formation during short-term LEA induced by running exercise and dietary energy restriction.

doi.org/10.1007/s00223-026-01564-0 Open access PubMed 42348018 Interventions