Objective
The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between the components of the metabolic syndrome
(MS) and bone mineral density (BMD).
Methods
We conducted a retrospective cross-sectional analysis for 128 men (mean age 50.4 ± 8.3 years) and 391
women (mean age 46.9 ± 11.6 years) in Korea University Guro Hospital, Korea. Height (cm), weight (kg), waist
circumference (cm), and blood pressure (mmHg) were measured. Fasting plasma glucose (FPG), high-density
lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and triglycerides were measured. BMD at the total hip and lumbar spine was measured
by dual X-ray densitometry. All participants completed a standardized questionnaire including medical history, smoking
history, alcohol consumption, physical activity and menopausal status.
Results
Women with MS had lower BMD at lumbar and total hip sites (0.937 ± 0.136 g/cm2, P-value 0.010; 0.875
± 0.113 g/cm2, P-value 0.045, respectively) than did women without MS. These differences at the spine and femoral
neck were persisted after adjusting for age, body mass index, menopause status, alcohol consumption, smoking and
physical activity. However, no significant differences in BMD were found in men between those with and without
MS. In linear regression analyses, waist circumferences were highly associated with BMD at lumbar and total hip
sites in women (β -0.003, P-value < 0.001; β -0.001, P-value 0.001, respectively). However, no significant differences
were found in men between BMD and components of the MS.
Conclusion
Among components of MS, waist circumference was associated with BMD in women. But no association
was found in men. Women with MS had lower BMD than did women without MS.
