Familial resemblance of bone mineral density between females 18 years and older and their mothers

Potential determinants of bone mass were investigated in a group of 70 youn g females (mean age 26.6 years), daughters of women studied in premenopause . Nutritional data, leisure physical activity level, lifestyle habits as we ll as familial similarities were assessed. The daughters' bone mineral dens ity (BMD), measured by dual-energy absorptiometry, was significantly correl ated with their body mass index (BMI) (r = 0.22), dietary vitamin D intake (r = 0.19) and their mothers' BMD (r = 0.44). Multiple regression analysis indicated that only the mothers' BMD remained an independent predictor of b one mass. Mother-daughter correlations were also observed for body weight ( r = 0.24), height (r = 0.39), BMI (r = 0.29), dietary calcium intake (r = 0 .20), and calcium (r = 0.20) or vitamin D (r = 0.25) intakes from dairy pro ducts. Hence, these observations support the evidence that mothers' BMD is the strongest predictor of bone mass of young women in their third decade.