Correlation between body composition and spinal bone density in young women

Han, Jee Hye; Cho, Kyung Hee

Abstract

BACKGROUD: Body weight is a well known factor of bone density. However, studies for correlation between body fat, lean body mass and bone density are inconsistent in premenopausal women. We reviewed the relations of body weight, body mass index (BMI) , body fat, body fat percent, fat free mass and spinal bone density.
METHODS
We collected data of healthy young women of 20-39 years old who visited a health promotion center of a general hospital from March to August, 2000, and examined the correlation of body weight, BMI, body fat, body fat percent, fat free mass and spinal bone density.
RESULTS
The total number of observation was 309, the average age was 34+/-4 year old, the average body weight was 55.4+/- 7.7kg, the height was 158+/-5 cm, the BMI was 22.05+/-2.80 kg/m2, the body fat percent was 25.5+/-5.3%, and the spinal bone density was 1.007+/-0.1106g/cm2,. The incidence of normal bone density, osteopenia, osteoporosis of spine was 45.5%, 54.5%, 0%,respectively,in the low body weight group,72.6%,26.8%,0.5%, respectively, in the normal weight group, and 90.9%,9.1%,0%, respectively, in the obese group. In linear regression analysis, the spinal bone density correlated with age, height,weight, BMI, body fat, and fat free mass. In stepwise multiful regression analysis, the fat free mass was a significant factor (R2 =0.065(P<0.001) ) of the spinal bone density.
CONCLUSIONS
The spinal bone density was correlated with age, height, body weight, BMI, fat mass, and fat free mass. The multiple regression analysis suggested that only fat free mass was significantly correlated with spinal bone density.