THE RELATIONSHIP OF TOTAL-BODY BONE-MINERAL (TBBMC) TO ANTHROPOMETRICVARIABLES IN POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN, AND CONTRIBUTION OF CHRONOLOGICAL AGE AND YEARS SINCE MENOPAUSE TO TBBMC LOSS

Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry measurements of total body bone miner al content (TBBMC), fat body mass (FBM) and fat mass percentage (%FM), lean body mass (LBM) and body weight (BW) were performed on 168 norma l postmenopausal females. They were matched regarding life style and h abits and had body mass index under 30. Their TBBMCs were correlated w ith these measurements, with chronological age (CA) and with the numbe r of years since menopause (YSM). There was no correlation between TBB MC and %FM and LBM, but there was with BW (p<0.001). There was a signi ficant and negative correlation (r=-0.453, p<0.01) between TBBMC and C A and to a higher range (r=-0.697, p<0.001) with YSM. Menopausal femal es over 60 (n=87) presented less bone mass than younger females (n=81) (p<0.01). These data suggest that regarding TBBMC, menopausal onset i s a more important factor in bone mass loss, which persists rather mar kedly even during periods of time far from menopause and that TBBMC de pends more on BW than on LBM and FM in women.