Grant: Catalyst Grant: Post Market Drug Safety and Effectiveness

Osteoporosis is a growing health problem, especially for older women. The purpose of our study is to use a novel intervention involving ibuprofen supplementation and exercise training to prevent loss of bone mineral and muscle mass in older women. Inflammation increases as we grow older and inflammation causes loss of bone and muscle mass. Resistance training is effective for increasing bone and muscle mass; however, it causes some inflammation after training. A recent study in younger women found that if ibuprofen (an anti-inflammatory drug) was given after resistance training, it enhanced the effect of resistance training for increasing bone mass over a 9 month period. The purpose of our study is to determine whether ibuprofen supplementation after resistance training improves bone and muscle mass in older women (65 y or older) during a 9-month resistance training program. We plan on assessing changes in hip and spine bone mineral, and whole body muscle mass. The hip and spine are the standard sites to assess when determining risk of osteoporosis because fractures often occur at these sites. In addition to these standard measures, we will also assess bone geometry and architecture at the hip and wrist. These measures will provide an enhanced understanding of the effect of exercise and ibuprofen on bone properties.