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Boning up after Baby
By Julie Rausch
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| Janelle Robertson undergoes a treadmill test as part of a study on bone density in moms who breast-feed being conducted by graduate student Brian Kirby. |
Brian Kirby, a graduate student in exercise science, is studying the effects of weight-bearing exercise on bone density for mothers who breast-feed.
It’s not uncommon for nursing mothers to experience some temporary bone density loss, Kirby says. However, his focus is on how women can maintain bone density during the breast-feeding phase and perhaps even increase bone density after weaning.
"The biggest question I’m trying to solve with this round of testing is whether bone density can be maintained with exercise for mothers who breast-feed," Kirby says.
Weight-bearing exercise is any activity where people carry their body weight including walking, jogging, using a Stairmaster or aerobic workouts.
The participants, nursing mothers ages 21-35 who agree to one mode of exercise three-five hours per week, will be tested at two weeks and three months postpartum. The women are asked to work at at least 60 percent of their heart rate maximum and record the rate each time they exercise. They also will submit a three-day dietary record during the week prior to testing to account for nutritional levels. Research has shown that diet and vitamin supplements do not affect bone density loss in this population, Kirby says.
The women will have two bone density assessments using a dual energy X-ray absorptiometry instrument, which resembles an open MRI scanner and helps detect the loss of bone density much earlier than a standard X-ray. They also will perform two treadmill tests, which will measure heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen consumption, carbon dioxide production and power output at varying degrees of intensity.
Results of the tests will be compared, and by spring Kirby plans to have the results, which will be included in his master’s thesis.
Kirby’s study is partially funded through a Delano Maggard Jr. graduate research grant.
Kirby says this research combines several of his educational interests.
During high school Kirby says he dreamed of helping design laser-guided systems for missiles. Now one might say he’s switched gears to designing lactating-guided systems for mothers.
While a WSU undergraduate, Kirby began as an engineering student and Wallace Scholar. After exploring possibilities in athletic training, pilot school and pre-med obstetrics, he chose exercise science.
Kirby calls this research a small pilot project that he hopes to continue to study while earning a doctorate, but that’s in the future.
After he marries WSU admissions representative April Boyd and graduates in May, he hopes to work for the U.S. Air Force as a fitness program manager, which has been updating its annual fitness test requirements.
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