Circadian Rhythm Disruption and Osteoporosis in Postmenopausal Women: An Observational Study from a Tertiary Care
Poonam Gupta1, Anand Sharma2, Ajeet Kumar Chaurasia3
1Professor and Head, Department of Medicine, Moti Lal Nehru Medical College, Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, India, Orcid: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-8473-9492, Corresponding Author.
Background:
Osteoporosis, a common bone disease among postmenopausal women, where bone is weak by diminished bone mineral density (BMD), increasing the fracture risk. Our body's natural rhythm, called the "circadian rhythm," which is controlled by the brain and body, helps in bone formation and also in breakdown, disruption of this rhythm may affect bone health. This study explores how problems with circadian rhythm might be linked with osteoporosis in postmenopausal women.
Objective:
To assess the prevalence of osteoporosis among postmenopausal women and to see if it is related to changes in their body's daily sleep-wake cycle, "circadian rhythm," using a composite morningness-eveningness questionnaire (CMEQ) that groups people as morning, evening, or in between types.
Materials And Methods:
This cross-sectional observational study was conducted at Swaroop Rani Hospital, Prayagraj, India, between March 2024 and March 2025. This study included 109 postmenopausal women after applying strict inclusion/exclusion criteria. Each woman underwent clinical evaluation, anthropometric measurements, and biochemical testing. BMD by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scan at the lumbar spine with right and left femoral necks. To understand their sleep-wake pattern, "circadian rhythm" participants filled out a special questionnaire called the CMEQ, which groups them as morning, evening, or in between types. Data was analyzed using computer software (SPSS v25.0) to find patterns and differences.
Results:
The prevalence of osteoporosis was 32.1% (35 among 109 women). Osteoporotic women had significantly lower weight (58.1 ± 11.63 vs 64.3 ± 13.65 kg; p = 0.023) and height (149.1 ± 7.12 cm vs 153.0 ± 7.08 cm; p = 0.008) compared to nonosteoporotic participants. Body mass index (BMI) was lower in the osteoporotic group (26.3 vs 28.1), though not statistically significant (p = 0.093). The mean composite M-E score did not have a significant value between osteoporotic and nonosteoporotic groups (44.8 ± 3.55 vs 44.6 ± 4.23; p = 0.852), indicating no significant association between circadian rhythm and osteoporosis.
Conclusion:
About one-third of postmenopausal women in the study had osteoporosis. Although anthropometric differences were significant, no statistical significance was found between circadian rhythm and BMD. The findings suggest that circadian rhythm may affect bone health, but the questionnaires CMEQ used in this study may not be the best way to measure it. Future studies should use more accurate measures of taste, such as circadian hormone levels, and follow people over time to better understand this relationship.
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