Age-related changes in body composition of healthy and osteoporotic women.
OBJECTIVE
The study was carried out to assess age-related changes of body composition and to evaluate the influence of lean and fat mass in bone mineral density of healthy and osteoporotic women.


METHODS
166 healthy women in premenopause (43.2 +/- 6.7 years), 591 healthy postmenopausal women (59.9 +/- 8.1 years) and 373 women with established involutive osteoporosis (66.2 +/- 7.8 years) were evaluated: bone mineral density (BMD) and soft tissue composition (fat mass, lean mass) were measured by a total body Lunar DPX device.


RESULTS
no difference in lean mass was appreciated between the groups. Fat mass was significantly lower in premenopausal women (19.5 +/- 6.5 kg) and osteoporotic patients (18.8 +/- 5.2 kg) than in postmenopausal healthy women (21.8 +/- 5.7 kg). In premenopause weight, soft tissue mass and fat mass increased with age (P < 0.05). In postmenopause, lean mass decreased significantly in healthy women (P < 0.05). Fat mass was lower in the osteoporotics than in normals. Total BMD correlated significantly with fat and lean mass in all groups (P < 0.01). BMD/height ratio correlated significantly with fat mass (P < 0.01), not with lean mass.


CONCLUSIONS
BMD is closely related to fat mass in healthy premenopausal and postmenopausal women, and in osteoporotic patients; osteoporotic patients and healthy premenopausal women are characterized by a lower fat mass than healthy postmenopausal women; fat mass may be considered one of the determinants of bone mass also in involutive osteoporosis.
Martini
G
G
Chair of Internal Medicine, University of Siena, Italy.
Valenti
R
R
Giovani
S
S
Nuti
R
R
D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D001823:Body Composition; D015992:Body Mass Index; D015519:Bone Density; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008875:Middle Aged; D010024:Osteoporosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015663:Osteoporosis, Postmenopausal / Q000503:physiopathology