The relationship between soft body composition and bone mineral density in premenopausal Hispanic and Caucasian women

Investigating the relationship between soft body composition and bone mineral density of premenopausal Hispanic and Caucasian women may help in determining strategies to lower the risk of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. Purpose. To investigate the relationship between BMD and soft tissue body composition, including lean mass and fat mass, of premenopausal Caucasian and Hispanic women. Methods. Participants were 76 Hispanic [mean ± SD age: 42.7 ± 4.6 y; ht: 161.3 ± 5.66 cm; body mass: 70.14 ± 15.09 kg; BMI: 26.92 ± 15.09 kg/m 2] and 46 White [age: 43.8 ± 4.3 y; ht: 165.5 ± 6.16 cm; body mass: 66.37 ± 12.08 kg; BMI: 24.19 ± 3.95 kg/m 2] women. Bone mineral density (BMD), percentage of body fat (%BF), fat mass (FM), and lean body mass (LBM) were measured by DEXA. Statistical Analyses included descriptives, Pearson Correlation, and stepwise linear regression. Results. With all women combined, there was a significant relationship between BMD and body mass (r = 0.442, P \u3c 0.001), BMI (r = 0.428, P \u3c 0.001), FM (r = 0.370, P \u3c 0.001), %BF (r = 0.365, P \u3c 0.001), and LBM (r = 0.303, P \u3c 0.001). When the Ethnicities were split, BMD for Caucasian women had a significant relationship with BMI (r = 0.617, P \u3c 0.001), body mass (r = 0.597, P \u3c 0.001), %BF (r = 0.547, P \u3c 0.001), and FM (r = 0.476, P = 0.001), but not with LBM (P = 0.072). For Hispanic women, BMD had a significant relationship with body mass (r = 0.346, P = 0.002), LBM (r = 0.342, P = 0.002), BMI (r = 0.301, P = 0.008), and FM (r = 0.279, P = 0.015), but not with %BF (P = 0.093). Linear regression revealed the best predictors for BMD were body mass (beta = 0.442, F = 29.39, P \u3c 0.001) in all women, body mass (beta = 0.346, F = 10.08, P = 0.002) in Hispanic women, and BMI (beta = 0.617, F = 27.61, P \u3c 0.001) in Caucasian women. Conclusion. These data indicate a positive relationship between body mass and BMD, and between BMI and BMD for premenopausal Hispanic and Caucasian women respectively. Low body mass and lower BMI should be discouraged to avoid increased risk of developing osteoporosis. Further research examining the relationship between BMD and ethnic differences in Hispanic and Caucasian women is warranted