4. Discussion
knee flexion, bodily pain
This study aimed to explore the effects of a mineral-enriched supplement and 32 weeks of a RT intervention with EB on isokinetic muscle strength (hip adduction, knee flexion, and elbow flexion at 60 and 180°/s), bone markers (global BMD, hip BMD, spine BMD, P1NP, and BCTX/1000), body composition (fat and muscle mass), and quality of life (SF-36). The main finding of the present study was that a RT program with EB and SW supplementation over 32 weeks improved all the analyzed parameters of strength, bone health, body composition, and almost all the quality-of-life parameters. While non-significant between-group differences existed in the baseline measurements, significant differences in the post-intervention measurements were observed between both RT groups and control groups in isokinetic strength, body fat percentage, and bodily pain. Non-significant differences existed in post-test measures between both intervention groups (RT+SW vs. RT+PLA), although the RT+SW group presented greater ES. Furthermore, the RT+PLA group did not improve hip adduction strength at 180°/s, global and spine BMD, fat mass, subjective physical functioning, and physical role. Considering the non-significant between-group differences and that the RT+SW group improved all the aforementioned parameters, we could not confirm the study hypothesis.