Exercise training modifies the bone and endocrine response to graded reductions in energy availability in skeletally mature female rodents.

These findings indicate that combining increased EX energy expenditure with smaller reductions in energy intake to achieve a targeted reduction in EA provides some protection against loss of bone mass and lean mass in skeletally mature female rats, likely due to better preservation of circulating IGF-1, and that bone mechanical integrity is not significantly degraded with either moderate or severe reduced EA.