Can Weighted Vests Help Maintain Bone Health When Older Adults Slim Down?

Wake Forest University researchers will use a $2.9 million grant from the National Institute on Aging to test whether wearing a weighted vest can replace traditional resistance training to help maintain bone density and health in obese older adults who are trying to lose weight, reports Phys.org . A pilot study had participants wear a weighted vest for 10 hours a day for six months, with an average 6.5 hours of daily wear time reported. The two-pound vest can be worn under clothes and allows full range of motion. As pilot participants lost weight, the researchers added the amount of weight lost — in two-ounce increments — to the vest. Bones grow when "load" is put on them as a person puts on a few extra pounds, or they will lose density when weight is lost. Older adults rarely regain bone density even if they regain weight. Pilot participants who wore the vest had a significant reduction in hip bone loss. The new four-year study will monitor 192 adults age 60 to 85, with the vest featuring weighted blocks that fit into little pockets. Participants will be split into those losing weight alone, those losing weight and wearing the vest, and those losing weight and undergoing resistance training.