Relation of body fat distribution to femoral neck bone density and endometrial thickness in postmenopausal women.
OBJECTIVE
Menopause is associated with accelerated bone loss, a decrease in lean mass, an increase and redistribution of fat mass in the trunk region. Trunk obesity has been considered as a risk factor for endometrial cancer. We aimed to determine if body composition and fat distribution are determinants of femoral neck bone mineral density (BMD) and endometrial thickness in healthy postmenopausal women.


METHODS
Subjects were 40 healthy postmenopausal women with biopsy proven atrophic endometrium. Anthropometrical variables (total fat mass, trunk and leg fat masses, lean body mass and femoral neck BMD) were measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry.


RESULTS
Femoral neck BMD was positively correlated with body mass index, total fat mass, trunk fat mass, leg fat mass and endometrial thickness, and negatively correlated with age, years since menopause and FSH levels. Trunk fat and age remained significant determinants of femoral neck BMD (R(2) = 32.9 %, p < 0.001) and endometrial thickness was significantly associated with femoral neck BMD and oestradiol levels (R(2) = 46.5%, p < 0.0001) on regression analysis.


CONCLUSIONS
Truncal adiposity rather than overall adiposity or lean mass are more closely associated with femoral neck BMD and there is no relationship between subcutaneous fat mass and endometrial thickness in postmenopausal women.
Oktem
Ozgur
O
Women's Health Center, American Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey. drozguroktem@gmail.com
Kucuk
Mert
M
Ozer
Kamer
K
Sezen
Devrim
D
Durmusoglu
Fatih
F
D015502:Absorptiometry, Photon; D050218:Body Fat Distribution; D015519:Bone Density; D004717:Endometrium / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D005272:Femur Neck / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D017698:Postmenopause; D012307:Risk Factors