First Advisor

Nicholas Pullen

First Committee Member

Laura Stewart

Second Committee Member

Patrick Burns

Degree Name

Master of Science

Document Type

Thesis

Date Created

5-2026

Department

College of Natural and Health Sciences, Biological Sciences, Biological Sciences Student Work

Abstract

Osteoporosis is characterized by a deteriorating of bone tissue leading to brittleness and increased fracture risk that affects both men and women as they age. Postmenopausal women are of particular interest due to high risk of declining bone density, a characteristic of this population. Treatments for osteoporosis range from menopause hormone therapy, bisphosphonates, biologics, nutritional changes, and exercise. Load bearing exercise interventions have shown effectiveness for stimulating bone growth, but many factors such as lack of access, motivation, self-confidence or knowledge, prevent long term compliance. “Weighted vest rucking” refers to a variation of rucking, which is a form of exercise defined as walking or hiking while carrying added weight. Traditionally that weight is carried in a backpack (a “rucksack”), but it can also be worn in a weighted vest instead (Cleveland Clinic, n.d.). The purpose of the present study was to determine if salivary testing on 10 post-menopausal women partaking in an acute weighted-vest exercise treatment would provide data for bone biomarkers, C-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen (CTx) and procollagen type 1 N-terminal propeptide (P1NP) and to determine pilot feasibility of doing the exercise with this population. Women performed varying intensity and duration exercise (5% - 15% bodyweight, 20-40 minutes) at self-selected paces. Saliva samples were collected pre and immediately post exercise treatment. The CTx increased in 9 out of 10 participants (p-value = 0.224) while P1NP varied highly among participants and results were not significant (p-value for P1NP = 0.4789). Results were not significant for either biomarker. This pilot study attempted to determine the feasibility of using saliva to determine if a weighed vest “rucking” exercise would influence bone turnover markers, hormonal markers, and cytokines. Though data were present in saliva for both biomarkers, due to inconsistencies in CTx and P1NP, future research is needed to determine if saliva is a good conduit for collecting bone turnover biomarkers.

Abstract Format

html

Disciplines

Biology

Keywords

osteoporosis; weighted vest; rucking

Language

English

Places

Greeley, Colorado

Extent

106 pages

Rights Statement

Copyright is held by the author.

Digital Origin

Born digital

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Biology Commons

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