Abstract
We examined age-related changes of the entire skeleton and its major anatomical areas (spine, trunk, pelvis, arms, legs) in 139 healthy males (19–99 years of age) and evaluated the influence of lean mass and fat mass on these changes. The population studied was stratified according to their ages referred in decades. Bone mineral density (BMD) and body composition (fat mass, lean mass) were measured by Lunar DPX. A negative linear correlation between BMD values and age was observed. The overall bone loss from the young to the aged was statistically significant for all skeletal sites, with a lower level of significance for the spinal area: BMD percentage decrease ranged from 19.4% for the pelvis to 9% for the spine. Peak bone mass was observed in the first decade (19–29 years of age). Soft tissue increased until the fifth and sixth decades, followed by a gradual decrease. Lean mass declined in a uniform way from the first to the last decades. BMD values were significantly related to lean mass, but there were no correlations with the fat mass. Lean body mass was significantly related to BMD/height, index of “true” volumetric density. Multiple regression analysis confirmed that in males the principal determinant of total body bone density is fat-free mass.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Newton-John HF, Morgan DB (1970) The loss of bone with age, osteoporosis and fractures. Clin Orthop 71:229–252
Mazess RB (1982) On aging bone loss. Clin Orthop Rel Res 162:239–252
Riggs BL, Wahner HW, Dunn WL, Mazess RB, Offord KP, Melton LJ III (1981) Differential changes in bone mineral density of the appendicular and axial skeleton with aging 67:328–335
Riggs BL, Wahner HW, Seeman E, Offord KP, Dunn WL, Mazess RB, Johnson KA, Melton LJ (1982) Changes in bone mineral density of the proximal femur and spine with aging. J Clin Invest 70:716–723
Mazess RB, Barden HS, Drinka PJ, Bauwens SF, Orwoll E, Bell N (1990) Influence of age and body weight on spine and femur bone mineral density in U.S. white men. J Bone Miner Res 5:645–652
Hannan MT, Felson DT, Anderson JJ (1992) Bone mineral density in elderly men and women: results from the Framingham osteoporosis study. J Bone Miner Res 5:547–553
Mazess RB, Peppler WW, Chesney RW, Lange TW, Lindgren V, Smith E (1984) Total body and regional bone mineral by dual-photon absorptiometry in metabolic bone disease. Calcif Tissue Int 36:8–13
Mazess RB, Collich B, Trempe J, Barden H, Hansen J (1989) Performance evaluation of a dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Calcif Tissue Int 44:228–232
Nuti R, Martini G, Righi G, Frediani B, Turchetti V (1991) Comparison of total body measurements by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and dual-photon absorptiometry. J Bone Miner Res 7:681–687
Mazess RB, Barden HS, Bisek JP, Hanson J (1990) Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry for total body and regional bone mineral and soft tissue composition. Am J Clin Nutr 51:1106–1112
Gallagher JC, Goldgar D, Moy A (1987) Total bone calcium in normal women: effect of age and menopause status. J Bone Miner Res 2:491–496
Gotfredsen A, Nilas L, Podenphant J, Hadberg A, Christiansen C (1989) Regional bone mineral in healthy and osteoporotic women: a cross-sectional study. Scand J Clin Lab Invest 49:739–749
Nuti R, Martini G (1993) Effects of age and menopause on bone density of entire skeleton in healthy and osteoporotic women. Osteoporosis Int 3:59–65
Russel-Aulet M, Wang J, Thornton J, Colt EWD, Pierson RN (1991) Bone mineral density and mass by total body dual-photon absorptiometry in normal white and Asian men. J Bone Miner Res 6:1109–1113
Karlsson MK, Gardsell P, Johnell O, Nilsson BE, Akesson K, Obrant KJ (1993) Bone mineral normative data in Malmo, Sweden. Acta Orthop Scand 64:168–172
Sato Y, Kushida K, Denda M, Yamazaki K, Ohmura A, Inoue T (1993) Total body bone mineral density in normal males. J Bone Miner Res 8(S2):967
Nuti R, Martini G, Gennari C (1993) Total body, spine, and femur dual X-ray absorptiometry in spinal osteoporosis. Calcif Tissue Int 53:388–393
Genant HK, Faulkner KG, Gluer CC (1991) Measurement of bone mineral density: current status. Am J Med 91 (5B):49–53
Ho CP, Kim RW, Schaffer MB, Sartoris DJ (1990) Accuracy of dual energy radiographic absorptiometry of the lumbar spine: cadaver study. Radiology 176:171–173
Reid IR, Lindsay DP, Evans MC (1992) Fat mass is an important determinant of whole body bone density in premenopausal women but not in men. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 75:779–782
Rico H, Revilla M, Hernandez ER, Villa LF, Alvarez del Buergo M (1992) Sex differences in the acquisition of total bone mineral mass peak assessed through dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Calcif Tissue Int 51:251–254
Slosman DO, Rizzoli R, Pichard C, Donath A, Bonjour JP (1994) Longitudinal measurements of regional and whole body bone mass in young healthy adults. Osteoporosis Int 4:185–190
Elliott JR, Gilchrist NL, Wells JE, Turner JG, Ayling E, Gillespie WJ, Sainsbury R, Hornblow A, Donald RA (1990) Effects of age and sex on bone density at the hip and spine in a normal Caucasian New Zealand population. N Z Med J 103:33–36
Croft P (1990) Osteoarthritis. Br J Rheumatol 29:391–395
Blunt BA, Klauber RM, Barret-Connor EL, Edelstein SL (1994) Sex differences in bone mineral density in 1653 men and women in the sixth through tenth decades of life: the Rancho Bernardo Study. J Bone Miner Res 9:1333–1338
Burger H, van Daele PLA, Algra D, van den Ouweland FA, Grobbee DE, Hofman A, van Kuijk C, Schutte HE, Buirkenhager JC, Pols HAP (1994) The association between age and bone mineral density in men and women aged 55 years and over: The Rotterdam Study. Bone Miner 25:1–13
Hart DJ, Mootoosamy I, Doyle DV, Spector TD (1994) The relationship between osteoarthritis and osteoporosis in the general population: The Chingford Study. Ann Rheum Dis 53:158–162
Mosekilde L, Mosekilde L (1990) Sex differences in age-related changes in vertebral body size, density and biochemical competence in normal individuals. Bone 11:67–73
Cann CE, Genant HK (1982) Cross-sectional studies of vertebral mineral using quantitative computed tomography. J Comput Assist Tomogr 6:216–217
Meier DE, Orwoll ES, Jones JM (1984) Marked disparity between trabecular and cortical bone loss with age in healthy men. Ann Intern Med 101:100–106
Forbes GB, Reina JC (1970) Adult lean body mass declines with age: some longitudinal observations. Metabolism 19:653–663
Flynn MA, Nolph GB, Baker AS, Martin WM, Frause G (1989) Total body potassium in aging humans: a longitudinal study. Am J Clin Nutr 50:713–717
Nijs J, Geusens P, Borghs H, Dequeker J (1993) Bone density and body composition data in normal males. Calcif Tissue Int 52:S86
Marcus R, Greendale G, Blunt BA, Bush TL, Sherman S, Sherwin R, Wahner H, Wells B (1994) Correlates of bone mineral density in the postmenopausal estrogen/progestin interventions trial. J Bone Miner Res 9:1467–1476
Lindsay R, Coutts JRT, Mart DM (1977) The effect of endogenous oestrogen on plasma and urinary calcium and phosphate in oophorectomized women. Clin Endocrinol 6:87–93
Reid IR, Ames R, Evans MC, Sharpe S, Gamble G, France JT, Lim TMT, Cundy TF (1992) Determinants of total body and regional bone mineral density in normal postmenopausal women—a key role for fat mass. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 75:45–51
Carter RD, Bouxsein ML, Marcus R (1992) New approaches for interpreting projected bone densitometry data. J Bone Miner Res 7:137–145
Compston JE (1995) Bone density: BMC, BMD, or corrected BMD? Bone 16:5–7
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Nuti, R., Martini, G. & Gennari, C. Age-related changes of whole skeleton and body composition in healthy men. Calcif Tissue Int 57, 336–339 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00302068
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00302068