Association between osteoporosis and refined grain consumption in postmenopausal women: A case-control study

Osteoporosis is the leading pathological cause of skeletal fragility. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the consumption of refined grain and osteoporosis in postmenopausal women with and without osteoporosis.

This case-control study involved 356 menopausal women aged 45-85 in Tehran, Iran. The age-matching methodology has been used to mitigate the confounding influence of age. The dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry was utilized to evaluate the bone mineral density. The bone mass status was assessed using the World Health Organization (World Health Organization) criteria. All the participants were divided into two groups based on their T-score: the osteoporosis group and the nonosteoporosis group. A convenience sampling method was applied to select the participants, comprising two groups: case (n = 178) and control (n = 178). Data were gathered utilizing demographic and anthropometric information questionnaires, a validated 147-item food frequency questionnaire, and a physical activity questionnaire. SPSS-27 was used for statistical analyses and P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

The findings revealed substantial disparities in body mass index (P < 0.001) and physical activity (P < 0.001). The mean ± standard error of the mean consumption of refined grains was greater in participants with osteoporosis (case) (316.76 ± 12.49) compared to the control group (271.50 ± 13.29) (P < 0.001). Upon adjusting for confounding variables, the consumption of refined grains was positively associated with a risk of osteoporosis (odds ratio = 3.26; 95% confidence interval: 1.16-9.17, P = 0.025; Nagelkerke R² = 0.610).

We found an association between refined grain consumption and osteoporosis. Additional research is necessary to comprehend this relationship.