Relationship between the regional obesity and bone density in postmenopausal women assessed via dual energy x-ray absorptiometery

Abstract

Background: Osteoporosis is one of the most prevalent diseases in the word with many contributing factors. One of the most controversial factors is obesity. On the other hand, recent studies have indicated that using regional body fat distribution instead of body mass index (BMI) may lead to more accurate information about obesity. So, this study was performed to determine the relationship between the regional fat mass and bone density using dual energy X-ray absorptiometery (DXA) in postmenopausal women. Methods: In a cross sectional study, 76 postmenopausal women meeting the including criteria were selected. Bone mineral density (BMD) was measured via dual energy X-ray absorptiometery method. all the quantitative characteristics related to obesity such as total fat mass, total lean mass, and trunk, limb, abdominal and pelvic fat mass were measured using DXA method. The statistical analysis for determining the relation of bone mineral density and regional obesity was done using SPSS software. Findings: The means (± SD) of total fat mass and total lean mass were 35570.3 ± 8858.1 and 36945.0 ± 6228.3 grams, respectively. The means of bone mineral density and T-score of lumbar region were 994.7 ± 152.2 and -1.158 ± 0.915 g/cm2, respectively. The means of bone mineral density and T-score in femoral neck region were 0.77 ± 0.12 and -1.86 ± 1, respectively. According to Pearson correlation test, no relationship was seen between the spinal column bone density and total fat mass. Similarly, no relationship between T-score and total fat mass was observed in this region. The correlation between femoral neck bone mineral density and total fat mass was 0.22 which was not significant. The correlation between T-score and total fat mass was 0.22 in this region which was not statistically significant. Conclusion: According to the results of this study, regional fat mass had no statistically significant protective effects on bone density. Therefore, due to limitations of this study, it is suggested that more comprehensive researches with larger sample size should be performed. © 2015, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences(IUMS). All rights reserved.