[Phototype, vitamin D status and bone mineral density among women at risk of osteoporosis].
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to test the influence of phototype and vitamin D status feature on the bone mineral density (BMD) of the femoral neck in a group of middle-aged women considered at risk of osteoporosis (low levels of vitamin D [25(OH)D3<78 nmol/L] and hyperparathyroidism [parathormone level>36 pg/mL]).


METHODS
This two-step study was conducted on 122 French women enrolled in the SUVIMAX (supplémentation en vitamines et minéraux antioxydants: antioxidant vitamin and mineral supplementation) cohort. The impact of various variables on BMD, including age, body mass index (BMI), vitamin D status, alcohol intake, sun exposure intensity and phototype was investigated using regression models.


RESULTS
No statistical link was found between BMD and the variables documenting vitamin D status and parathormone levels, nor phototype. Nevertheless, fair phototypes tended to be associated with lower BMD values. However, BMD decreased with age and increased with BMI and physical activity level.


CONCLUSIONS
Whatever their phototype, adult women concerned about precarious vitamin D status should undergo a vitamin D supplementation in combination with an adequate calcium intake all year long and a proper sun protection. Moreover, a physical activity maintenance should provide an additional benefit for prevention of osteoporosis.
Guinot
C
C
Unité de biométrie et épidémiologie, CERIES, 20, rue Victor-Noir, 92521 Neuilly-sur-Seine cedex, France. christiane.guinot@ceries-lab.com
Ezzedine
K
K
Mauger
E
E
Ambroisine
L
L
Latreille
J
J
Bertrais
S
S
Preziosi
P
P
Galan
P
P
Chapuy
M-C
MC
Arnaud
S
S
Meunier
P-J
PJ
Tschachler
E
E
Hercberg
S
S
Malvy
D
D
D015519:Bone Density; D002117:Calcitriol / Q000097:blood; D002980:Climate; D005260:Female; D005602:France; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D015663:Osteoporosis, Postmenopausal / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D013472:Sunlight; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000502:physiology*; D014887:Weather
D014807:Vitamin D; D002117:Calcitriol