BONE LOSS ASSOCIATED WITH A HIGH-FIBER WEIGHT-REDUCTION DIET IN POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN

Objective: To examine the effect of high fibre weight reduction on bon e density in postmenopausal women. Design: Case-control study. Setting : Hospital outpatient dietetic clinic and Osteoporosis Screening Unit. Subjects and Interventions: Sixteen overweight volunteers who followe d a high fibre reducing diet for 6 months, to lose 20% of excess body weight (above body mass index 25 kg/m 2), and returned to their starti ng weight by the end of a further 6 months. Forty-six non-dieting cont rols, matched for age and years postmenopause, selected from screening unit volunteer register. Results: Annual percentage changes in lumbar spine bone mineral density, measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiome try were: controls -2.5% (SE 0.5), dieters -4.8% (0.9), 95% confidence interval of difference between groups -0.2 to -4.3% (P = 0.03); femor al neck bone density controls -2.5% (0.5), dieters -2.1% (0.9), 95% co nfidence interval of difference -1.7 to 2.5% (P = 0.69). Conclusions: High fibre weight reduction in postmenopausal women significantly incr eased annual bone loss from the lumbar spine. This loss was not revers ed by weight regain in the second 6 months. Repeated cycles of high fi bre weight loss and weight gain may increase the risk of spinal osteop orosis. Sponsorship: Medical Research Council, Scottish Home and Healt h Department, Arthritis and Rheumatism Council, Health and Diet Food C o. Ltd, Aberdeen and North East Branch of the National Osteoporosis So ciety.