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Association between fat mass, lean mass, and bone loss: the Dubbo osteoporosis epidemiology study

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An Erratum to this article was published on 24 March 2015

Abstract

Summary

Lower body fat mass is a risk factor for bone loss at lumbar spine in postmenopausal women, but not in men. Body lean mass and fat mass were not associated with femoral neck bone loss in either gender.

Introduction

Bone density and body mass are closely associated. Whole body lean mass (LM) and fat mass (FM) together account for approximately 95 % of body mass. Bone loss is associated with loss of body mass but which of the components of body mass (FM or LM) is related to bone loss is not well understood. Therefore, in this study, we sought to assess whether baseline FM or LM has predictive value for future relative rate of bone mineral density (BMD) changes (%/year).

Methods

The present population-based cohort study was part of the ongoing Dubbo Osteoporosis Epidemiology Study (DOES). BMD, FM, and LM were measured with dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (GE-LUNAR Corp, Madison, WI). BMD measurements were taken in approximately every 2 years between 2000 and 2010. We only included the participants with at least two BMD measurements at the femoral neck and lumbar spine. In total, 717 individuals (204 men and 513 women) aged 50 years or older were studied.

Results

Rate of bone loss at femoral neck and lumbar spine was faster in women than in men (all P < 0.01). In bivariable regression analysis, each 5 kg greater FM in women was associated with 0.4 %/year (P = 0.003) lower bone loss at lumbar spine. This magnitude of association remained virtually unchanged after adjusting for LM and/or other covariates (P = 0.03). After adjusting for covariates, variation of FM accounted for ∼1.5 % total variation in lumbar spine bone loss. However, there was no significant association between FM and change in femoral neck BMD in either men or women.

Conclusion

Lower FM was an independent but modest risk factor for greater bone loss at the lumbar spine in women but not in men. If further studies confirm our findings, FM can help predict lumbar spine bone loss in women.

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Acknowledgments

The Dubbo Osteoporosis Epidemiology Study was supported in part by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) grant 276413. This study also received support from the MBF Living Well Foundation; the Ernst Heine Foundation; and untied grants from Amgen, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Sanofi-Aventis, Servier, and Novartis. We thank Janet Watters, Sue Boyd, Carol Gilbert, Angie Ferguson, Di Conn, Donna Reeves, Shaye Field, Glenys Hubbard, and Sharon Erickson of Garvan Institute of Medical Research in Dubbo for data collection.

Conflicts of interest

Professor Tuan V. Nguyen, Doctor Jacqueline R. Center, and Shuman Yang have no conflicts of interest. Professor John A. Eisman received support from the MBF Living Well Foundation, the Ernst Heine Foundation, and untied grants from Amgen, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Sanofi-Aventis, Servier, and Novartis.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Osteoporosis and Bone Biology Research Program, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, 384 Victoria Street, Darlinghurst, NSW, 2010, Australia

    S. Yang, J. R. Center, J. A. Eisman & T. V. Nguyen

  2. Department of Endocrinology, St Vincent’s Hospital, Sydney, Australia

    J. R. Center & J. A. Eisman

  3. School of Medicine, The University of Notre Dame Australia, Fremantle, Australia

    J. A. Eisman

  4. School of Public Health & Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia

    T. V. Nguyen

  5. Centre for Health Technologies, University of Technology, Sydney, Australia

    T. V. Nguyen

Authors
  1. S. Yang
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  2. J. R. Center
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  3. J. A. Eisman
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  4. T. V. Nguyen
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Correspondence to T. V. Nguyen.

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Yang, S., Center, J.R., Eisman, J.A. et al. Association between fat mass, lean mass, and bone loss: the Dubbo osteoporosis epidemiology study. Osteoporos Int 26, 1381–1386 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00198-014-3009-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00198-014-3009-6

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