Smoking, the menopause and biochemical parameters of bone loss and bone turnover

It has been suggested that cigarette smoking may contribute to the pathogenesis of osteoporosis. A retrospective study of data obtained in a health survey was conducted to study the effects of smoking on the age of onset of menopause and parameter of bone loss and one turnover in a population of women living in a rural town in new Zealand. Smokers underwent menopause earlier than nonsmokers. However, smoking did not effect bone loss or bone turnover after the menopause. Thus, if smoking increases the propensity to osteoporosis, the effect is more likely to be related to early onset of menopause than to increased intensity of postmenopausal bone loss.