A Field Study in the Use of Dietary and Urinary Variables in Determining Osteoporosis in Elderly People

Three-day dietary records were analyzed for nutrient content and 24 hour urine samples were analyzed for calcium, phosphorous, total nitrogen, and free alpha-amino nitrogen for 210 elderly people. Dietaries and urine samples were collected twice, October and March at five month intervals, for each subject. Increases were found in both dietary intake and urinary components October to March. Based on a criteria of high dietary protein, low dietary calcium, high urinary nitrogen and low calcium, 23 subjects were selected as osteoporotic and and 25 were selected as non-osteoporotic. This method of prediction was not supported by radiological evaluations. Bone density and percent cortical area of the second metacarpal and the trabecular pattern of the femoral head were evaluated for each subject. A negative correlation of trabecular pattern with age indicated a general loss of bone with age. Decreased percent cortical area was the most consistent bone phenomena associated with osteoporosis. No significant difference was found between sexes in any of the radiological analysis. The osteoporotic condition is more closely associated with a loss of bone quantity than decreased bone quality. As yet, osteoporosis is not associated with specific nutrient(s) consumption or urinary excretion(s)