Numerous data suggest, at any age, a clear relationship between body w
eight and Bone Mineral Density (BMD). On the other hand, the effects o
f individual changes in body weight on BMD are still poorly understood
. Fourty four normal women of normal weight, who had passed a natural
menopause 6 months to 5 years earlier, were followed during a mean per
iod of lime of 40 months. They all underwent three BMD measurements by
Dual X-Ray Absorptiometry and a clinical examination. There was a sig
nificant correlation (p < 0.05) between the changes in weight and the
changes in BMD at the vertebral (r = 0.31) and femoral (r = 0.30) leve
ls. This association remained significant after adjustment for physica
l characteristics, age, years since menopause and initial BMD values.
Moreover, the subgroup of women who gained more than one kilogram duri
ng the followup had a rate of bone loss which was about twice less tha
n that in the rest of the group. This longitudinal study shows that ch
anges in body weight are able to influence the rate of postmenopausal
bone loss through mechanisms that are still discussed.