[Significance of body weight status for bone density in the elderly and very old]

Reduced bone density and osteoporosis are significant health problems and contributors to disability and mortality among older women and men. Therefore the decline of bone mineral content (BMC) and bone mineral density (BMD) are aspects of ageing with great medical and social significance. In recent years a low body weight was declared to be an important risk factor for the development of osteoporosis. In the present study the impact of weight status, defined by the categories of the WHO, on BMC of the whole body and BMD of the proximal femur end, determined by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA), were studied in 77 female and 62 male probands aged between 60 and 92 years (x = 71.7 yrs). With increasing weight status (BMI categories), BMC and BMD increased significantly (p < 0.001). This was true of both sexes. Even moderate overweight women and men (BMI 25.0-29.99) showed a significantly higher bone density than their normal weight counterparts (BMI < 25.0). In the present study a marked positive impact of body weight on bone density of old-aged women and men could be shown.