ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Marathon runners and cyclists have been found to hold a lower bone mineral density than normal people. The relationship between exercises and bone mineral density as well as the effect of different sports events and exercise load on the bone mineral density need a further investigation. OBJECTIVE: To review and summarize the studies on the effects of different sports events on bone mineral density, thus providing reference for the exercise intervention for osteoporosis. METHODS: PubMed, SpringerLink, PMC, CNKI and WanFang databases were retrieved by bibliometrics for the articles addressing the effect of exercise on bone mineral density published from 2005 to 2015 with the keywords of "osteoporosis, bone mineral density, exercise" in English and Chinese, respectively. Finally, 51 eligible literatures were enrolled for analysis according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The analysis results show that swimming cannot improve the bone mineral density, and bicycle movement significantly reduces the bone mineral density. While the effects of long-distance running and marathon on the bone mineral density still remain unclear. In addition, the ball games and other sports also can significantly improve the bone mineral density.