Association between Body Composition Characteristics and Bone Mineral Density across Menopausal Transition Stages

This cross-sectional study assessed the association between body composition characteristics and bone mineral density (BMD) across different menopausal transition stages.

In total, 320 rural women aged 45-60 years were recruited. Body composition and BMD at different skeletal sites were evaluated by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry.

The BMD and bone mineral content of the entire hip, lumbar region, and left arm significantly decreased across most of the menopausal transition stages, which was confirmed by Tukey post hoc analysis. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that BMD at the hip, lumbar region, and left arm were strongly and positively associated with weight. However, BMD was negatively associated with % total body fat (TBF) across all the four menopausal stages except for lumbar BMD at the late postmenopausal stage (Model 1). Lean mass was positively and significantly associated with BMD at all the skeletal sites evaluated except for some fluctuations in lumbar BMD (Model 2). Furthermore, waist circumference was significantly associated with BMD in the late postmenopausal stage (Model 3) .

Weight and lean mass are significant predictors of BMD during the menopausal transition and beyond. Furthermore, %TBF may be a negative indicator of BMD.