ORIGINAL ARTICLE Functional fitness and bone mineral density in the elderly Élvio R. Gouveia & José A. Maia & Gaston P. Beunen & C. J. R. Blimkie & António L. Rodrigues & Duarte L. Freitas Received: 18 May 2011 / Accepted: 14 February 2012 / Published online: 12 April 2012 # International Osteoporosis Foundation and National Osteoporosis Foundation 2012 Abstract Summary Bone quality has been associated with genetic factors and several environmental influences. This study suggests that although functional fitness should be consid- ered in clinical assessments of bone health, body composi- tion appears to have a higher relevance in the explanation of bone health/strength in older people. Purpose This study aims to describe the association be- tween functional fitness (FF), other constitutive factors, and bone health/strength in a large community-dwelling sample of elderly active Portuguese. Methods This cross-sectional study included 401 males and 401 females aged 60–79 years old. Bone mineral density (BMD) of the total body, lumbar spine (LS), and hip region was determined by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). In addition, femur strength index (FSI) was deter- mined. FF was assessed using the Senior Fitness Test. Demographic information and a health history were obtained by telephone interview through questionnaire. Results Aerobic endurance and body strength were pos- itively related with hip BMD region in males (0.10< r < 0.16; p <0.01–0.05) and females (0.13< r <0.28; p < 0.01). No significant correlation was found between any FF test and LS BMD, except for upper-body strength in females. After controlling for other constitu- tive predictors (sex, age, height, body mass (BM), total fat mass (TFM), and total lean tissue mass (TLTM)), FF had a minor contribution only in prediction of BMD at multisites and FSI. The total explained variance for all determinants was moderate (R² 0 0.35 for femoral neck (FN) BMD, R² 0 0.27 for LS BMD, R² 0 0.49 total body BMD, and R² 0 0.22 for FSI). Conclusions Sex, age, height, BM, TLTM, and TFM en- tered as the most significant contributors for BMD and FSI. Although FF parameters are typically considered in clinical assessments of bone health/strength in older people, body composition appears to have a higher relevance in the ex- planation of BMD and strength. Keywords Aging . Bone mineral density . Functional fitness . Femur strength index Introduction Osteoporosis is a disease characterized by low bone mineral density (BMD), microarchitectural bone tissue deterioration and increased fracture risk [1]. Bone fractures resulting from osteoporosis seem to be a major worldwide health concern. É. R. Gouveia (*) : D. L. Freitas Department of Physical Education and Sports, University of Madeira, Campus Universitário da Penteada, 9000-390 Funchal, Portugal e-mail: erubiog@uma.pt J. A. Maia CIFI2D and Faculty of Sport, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal G. P. Beunen Department of Biomedical Kinesiology, Faculty of Kinesiology and Rehabilitation Sciences, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium C. J. R. Blimkie Department of Kinesiology, Faculty of Science, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada A. L. Rodrigues Private Clinic Santa Catarina, Funchal, Portugal Arch Osteoporos (2012) 7:75–85 DOI 10.1007/s11657-012-0083-2