A Comprehensive Analysis of Bone Mineral Density Changes across the Lifespan: Insights from National Surveys

There is limited research providing an overall understanding of bone mineral density (BMD) changes throughout different stages of life. This study aimed to investigate the pattern of BMD changes across childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and old age, as well as exploring the critical time of peak BMD (PBMD).

Participants of three major ethnicities from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999 to 2018 were involved: 46,381 and 20,944 participants aged 8-85 years old were included in the Lumbar spine BMD (LSBMD) and femoral neck BMD (FNBMD) studies, respectively. BMD was measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. The generalized additive model was used to construct smoothed percentile curves.

Both males and females experienced a sharp increase in LSBMD during puberty, with females reaching their PBMD earlier than males. Females' LSBMD remained higher than males' before the age of approximately 50, except for Non-Hispanic Blacks. For males, LSBMD reached a plateau at around 30 years old after reaching the peak value. Females exhibited two peak points on the fitted curves, with the second PBMD occurring around 36-37 years old. Ethnic variations were observed, with Non-Hispanic Blacks displaying the highest BMD levels at all ages. Non-Hispanic Whites and Mexican Americans had lower BMD levels, with Mexican Americans generally exhibiting the lowest BMD. FNBMD reached its peak earlier than LSBMD, and males consistently had higher FNBMD than females.

This nationally representative study contributes to the understanding of BMD changes across the lifespan, and might provide guidance for bone health interventions in different population groups.