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Sarcopenia in premenopausal and postmenopausal women with osteopenia, osteoporosis and normal bone mineral density

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Abstract

Sarcopenia, the decline of muscle mass with age, causes impaired gait, disability and falls. It may therefore increase the risk of fracture for osteoporotic women. The aims of this study were to determine the prevalence of sarcopenia in osteopenic and osteoporotic women, and to determine if hormone replacement therapy (HRT), diet, or physical activity (PA) has a role in the prevention of sarcopenia. One hundred and thirty-one premenopausal and 82 postmenopausal (54 taking HRT) healthy women (17–77 years) volunteered for the study. Body composition was measured by dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Sarcopenia was defined as a relative skeletal muscle index (RSMI) (appendicular skeletal muscle mass divided by height) below 5.45 kg/m2. Osteopenia was defined by a densitometric t -score for bone mineral density (BMD) (g/cm2) below −1.0 and osteoporosis by a t -score below −2.5. Nutrient intake was assessed using 3-day food records and physical activity (PA) was measured using the Baecke Physical Activity Questionnaire. Pearson chi-squared, independent t -tests, simple correlation and multiple regression were used to analyze the data. In premenopausal osteopenic women the prevalence of sarcopenia was 12.5%. In postmenopausal women it was 25% for those with osteopenia, and 50% for those with osteoporosis. PA was independently related to RSMI (β=0.222, p =0.0001), but diet and HRT were not. After adjusting for PA, RSMI was not significantly related to BMD. These data suggest that the relationship between RSMI, BMD and risk of osteoporosis may largely be mediated through participation in PA. Sarcopenia screening simultaneous to BMD examinations by DXA, may be of value in identifying osteoporotic women with sarcopenia, a group that may be most in need of exercise interventions to increase muscle and BMD.

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Abbreviations

BF :

Body fat

BMC :

Bone mineral content

BMD :

Bone mineral density

DXA :

Dual X-ray absorptiometry

FFM :

Fat free mass

FM :

Fat mass

LM :

Lean mass

HRT :

Hormone replacement therapy

PA :

Physical activity

RSMI :

Relative skeletal muscle index

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the Fogarty International Research Grant, Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, AL, USA (1 FO5 TWO 4694-02). Sincere thanks to the volunteers for their participation, and to Robert Petri for his invaluable technical assistance

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Northern Ireland Centre for Diet and Health, University of Ulster, Coleraine, Co. Londonderry, Northern Ireland, BT52 1SA, UK

    Marianne C. Walsh & Margaret Barbara Livingstone

  2. Division of Physiology and Metabolism, Departments of Human Studies and Nutritional Sciences, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA

    Gary R. Hunter

  3. Room 205 Education Building, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 901 South 13th Street, Birmingham, AL, 35294-1250, USA

    Gary R. Hunter

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  1. Marianne C. Walsh
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  2. Gary R. Hunter
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  3. Margaret Barbara Livingstone
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Correspondence to Gary R. Hunter.

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Walsh, M.C., Hunter, G.R. & Livingstone, M.B. Sarcopenia in premenopausal and postmenopausal women with osteopenia, osteoporosis and normal bone mineral density. Osteoporos Int 17, 61–67 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00198-005-1900-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00198-005-1900-x

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