Peak bone mass in young healthy men is correlated with the magnitude of endogenous growth hormone secretion.
GH plays a key role during adolescence in longitudinal bone growth and the attainment of peak bone mass. We explored the hypothesis that in early adulthood, bone mineral accretion and/or maintenance in men with normal GH and bone mineral status are related to the magnitude of endogenous GH secretion. Overnight plasma GH concentrations (sampled every 10 min from 2100-0500 h) were measured in 15 healthy, lean, Caucasian men (age, 24+/-1 yr; body mass index, 22.6+/-0.6 kg/m2; mean +/- SE). Total body, femur, and lumbar spine bone mineral mass/density were measured by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry. Total body and femoral bone mineral mass correlated with both total nocturnal GH and maximal GH concentrations even when bone mineral mass was adjusted by height (P = 0.005-0.02; r = 0.58-0.74). Neither spinal nor total body bone mineral density (BMD) correlated with GH. Maximum GH correlated with the BMD of all four femoral sites (P = 0.01-0.04; r = 0.55-0.66), whereas total nocturnal GH correlated with only one (trochanter; P = 0.01; r = 0.64) femoral site. Our data support the hypothesis that GH continues to play a role in the accretion and/or maintenance of bone mass in young men. This relationship is more evident in the bone mineral mass achieved than in the BMD.
Russell-Aulet
M
M
Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Health Systems and Department of Veterans Affairs, Ann Arbor 48109, USA.
Shapiro
B
B
Jaffe
C A
CA
Gross
M D
MD
Barkan
A L
AL
D000328:Adult; D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism; D001823:Body Composition / Q000502:physiology; D015519:Bone Density / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006728:Hormones / Q000097:blood; D019382:Human Growth Hormone / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male
D006728:Hormones; D019382:Human Growth Hormone