ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Osteoporosis and hyperlipidemia in postmenopausal women may develop due to a sudden decrease of estrogen. In general, women over 60, about 10 years after menopause, are at ris of continuous bone loss. However, many reports reveal that high body weight may have a preventive effect on bone loss. There are few studies that examine the effect of body mass index on bone loss in aged Korean women. The aim of this study was to show the effect of body mass index on bone loss in aged Korean women. METHODS: We evaluated 510 women aged over 60 who visited a health care center of a university hospital in Seoul from January 1999 to December 2004 to determine the effects of body mass index on bone mineral density in aged Korean women. We measured anthropometrical characteristics, BMD of lumbar spine, markers of bone turnover, and FSH of the subjects. RESULTS: The higher body mass index, the greater BMD at lumbar spine. But the levels of alkaline phosphatase, osteocalcin and deoxypyridinolone had no significant differences. The FSH level was also low in the high body mass index group. The BMI was positively correlated with BMD (P<0.01) by Pearson's correlation matrix. The total alkaline phosphatase also had a significant negative correlation with BMD. The levels of FSH had negative correlation (P<0.01) with BMD. CONCLUSION: Higher body mass index groups showed higher BMD with lower FSH levels. Further prospective studies considering the endocrinologic association with body weight, BMD and FSH level will be needed.