The effects of milk intake and whole-body vibration exercise on bone mineral density in elderly women in nursing homes. Author: Lee SM1, Kim S1, Lim CG2 Affiliation: <sup>1</sup>Department of Radiological Science, College of Health Science, Gachon University, Republic of Korea. <sup>2</sup>Department of Physical Therapy, College of Health Science, Gachon University, Republic of Korea. Conference/Journal: J Phys Ther Sci. Date published: 2017 Jul Other: Volume ID: 29 , Issue ID: 7 , Pages: 1125-1128 , Special Notes: doi: 10.1589/jpts.29.1125. Epub 2017 Jul 15. , Word Count: 217 [Purpose] This study was designed to investigate the effects of lactose-free milk intake and whole-body vibration exercises on bone density in elderly female nursing home residents who had difficulty exercising outdoors and had not consumed milk. [Subjects and Methods] Twenty seven elderly women aged 70 or older from 3 nursing homes located in Incheon, Korea participated in the study. The experimental group (n=13) carried out whole-body vibration exercises and drank lactose-free milk, while the control group (n=14) continued to live their ordinary nursing home lives. Weight, BMI, T-scores, and Z-scores were compared between the experimental and control groups after 12 weeks. [Results] The comparison of changes in weight and BMI in the control group before and after the 12-week experiment found no statistically significant differences. However, bone mineral density was significantly different, with the T-score significantly decreasing from -2.99 to -3.48 and the Z-score decreasing from -1.87 to -2.58. The other comparisons of physical changes in the control group before and after the 12-week experiment found no statistical significance. [Conclusion] The results indicate that regular consumption of lactose-free milk and performing whole-body vibration exercises can delay the progression of bone density loss in older adults in nursing homes; adequate exercise and calcium intake could eventually help prevent fractures. KEYWORDS: Bone density; Lactose-free milk; Whole-body vibration PMID: 28744030 PMCID: PMC5509574 DOI: 10.1589/jpts.29.1125