Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 11, 2025
Author Spotlight: An Economic and Efficient Method for Quantitative Evaluation of Bone Microarchitecture in a Murine Osteoporosis Model
Published on: September 8, 2023
Changes in Trabecular Bone Score and Their Determinants in Young and Middle-aged Men: A Longitudinal Observational
Yaël Sertons1, Thiberiu Banica1, Stefan Goemaere1,2
1Department of Endocrinology, Ghent University Hospital & Department of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Ghent University, Ghent 9000, Belgium.
Objective:
To study bone turnover markers (BTM) and sex steroids in relation to trabecular bone score (TBS) in men.
Material And Methods:
Longitudinal, population-based study in 465 healthy men, aged 25 to 45 years at baseline. Lumbar spine TBS was calculated with TBS iNsight® version 4 (v19.4.1, core module, Medimaps, Pessac, France), which adjusts for soft tissue thickness correction via dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry measurements. SHBG, C-terminal telopeptide, and procollagen type 1 N-terminal propeptide were measured using immunoassays. Total testosterone (T) and estradiol (E2) were determined by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry and free T and free E2 calculated. Statistical analyses were conducted via linear mixed-effects modeling.
Results:
At baseline, TBS was positively associated with free T (P = .01), free E2, and total E2 (both P < .001) but not with total T nor with BTM. Over a follow-up of 12.5 years, TBS declined by 1.43% (P < .001). Higher baseline body mass index and trunk fat were predictive of greater decreases in TBS (P = .01 and P = .02). Neither baseline levels of sex steroids and BTM nor changes therein were associated with changes in TBS.
Conclusion:
TBS already decreases in young and middle-aged healthy men, corroborating earlier studies showing early decrease of trabecular bone volume and changes in trabecular microarchitecture. Although we identified some potentially contributing determinants, the underlying mechanisms of changes in TBS and trabecular bone in young men are yet to be fully elucidated.
Related Concept Videos
01:29Bone Disorders
Bone deposition is also affected by the levels of sex hormones like estrogen and testosterone that promote osteoblast activity and bone matrix synthesis. When the level of these hormones decreases due to aging, it causes a reduction in bone deposition. As a result, bone resorption by osteoclasts...
01:09Changes in the Appendicular Skeleton with Age
Initially, the limb buds consist of a core of mesenchyme covered by a layer of ectoderm. The ectoderm at the end of the limb bud thickens to form a narrow crest called the apical ectodermal ridge. This ridge stimulates the underlying...
01:09Spongy Bone
Spongy bone is more porous, and less dense compared to compact bone. It is composed of concentric lamellae that are arranged irregularly to form the trabecular network. In some bones, the spaces between trabeculae contain red marrow, where...
01:40Bone Remodeling
01:17Hormones and Bone Tissue
Hormones That Influence Osteoblasts and/or Maintain the Matrix
Several hormones are necessary for controlling bone growth and maintaining the bone matrix. The pituitary gland secretes growth hormone (GH), which, as its name implies, controls bone growth. This happens in several ways: first, it triggers chondrocyte...
01:25Imaging Studies for Cardiovascular System VI: Calcium -Scoring CT