Bone Mineral Density among Young and Middle-Aged Non-Menopausal Hispanic Women

Osteoporosis is a growing concern and appears to be afflicting women at a younger age than in previous years. The determination of factors associated with the development of this condition, seems warranted. Currently there have been many investigations examining the relationship of Body Mass, Fat Mass, and Lean Body Mass on the development of bone mineral density (BMD). A review of these studies reveals conflicting results. For example, a recent investigation of 20-25 year-old women found BMD to be positively correlated with both Fat Mass and Lean Body Mass. A subsequent investigation utilizing slightly older female subjects (non-menopausal), revealed only Lean Body Mass to be correlated with BMD. A plausible explanation for the discrepancy in the findings may be a confounding variable related to hormonal differences associated with younger and older women.

The intent of this study was to investigate differences between factors affecting BMD in women at an age of peak bone mineral development (18-25 year-olds) and older women (40 +) that have not yet experienced menopause. 109 Hispanic females participated in the study. All participants (56, 18 to 25 year-olds and 53, 40 + year-olds) received dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scans revealing BMD in the left and right femur and lumbar spine. Participants were also assessed for BMI, and Body Composition. Body Composition was tested using Bod Pod measures for a majority of the subjects; however, skin-fold calibration was used for some subjects. Correlation analysis was run on 88 subjects (45 in the younger group, and 43 in the older group) for whom complete data were collected.

Analyses revealed that in all subjects, bone mineral density was mildly correlated for the left femur (r = .443, p<.001) and the right femur (r = .453, p<.001) with body mass. There was a weak correlation (r = .202, p = .059) between body mass and lumbar spine BMD. Perhaps the most interesting results were found in the descriptive statistics revealing that 27% of the 18 to 25 year-olds had BMD results reflective of osteopenia the precursor of osteoporosis, while only 25% of the 40 + year-olds showed low measures. These results suggest further research is needed to determine current trends related to the development of osteopenia and osteoporosis among Hispanic women.

At the end of this presentation, participants will:

Know the current issues regarding BMD and Hispanic Women

Understand the need for additional research regarding osteoporosis and Hispanic Women.