Pubertal timing and body mass index gain from birth to maturity in relation with femoral neck BMD and distal tibia microstructure in healthy female subjects

• Published in: Osteoporosis international 2011-10, Vol.22 (10), p.2689-2698
• Main Authors: Chevalley, T., Bonjour, J. P., Ferrari, S., Rizzoli, R.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Absorptiometry, Photon; Adolescent; Age; Biological and medical sciences; Body Height - physiology; Body Mass Index; Bone density; Bone Density - physiology; Child; Diseases of the osteoarticular system; Endocrinology; Female; Females; Femur Neck - diagnostic imaging; Femur Neck - physiology; Fractures; Humans; Medical sciences; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Menarche; Menstruation; Original; Original Article; Orthopedics; Osteoporosis. Osteomalacia. Paget disease; Prospective Studies; Rheumatology; Risk factors; Tibia - anatomy & histology; Tibia - diagnostic imaging; Time Factors; Tomography, X-Ray Computed - methods; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0937-941X; 1433-2965
• DOI: 10.1007/s00198-011-1531-3

Summary Childhood body mass index (BMI) gain is linked to hip fracture risk in elderly. In healthy girls, menarcheal age is inversely related to BMI gain during childhood and to femoral neck areal bone mass density (aBMD) and distal tibia structural components at maturity. This study underscores the importance of pubertal timing in age-related fragility fracture risk. Introduction Recent data point to a relationship between BMI change during childhood and hip fracture risk in later life. We hypothesized that BMI development is linked to variation in pubertal timing as assessed by menarcheal age (MENA) which in turn, is related to peak bone mass (PBM) and hip fracture risk in elderly. Methods We studied in a 124 healthy female cohort the relationship between MENA and BMI from birth to maturity, and DXA-measured femoral neck (FN) aBMD at 20.4 year. At this age, we also measured bone strength related microstructure components of distal tibia by HR-pQCT. Results At 20.4 ± 0.6 year, FN aBMD (mg/cm 2 ), cortical thickness (μm), and trabecular density (mg HA/cm 3 ) of distal tibia were inversely related to MENA ( P  = 0.023, 0.015, and 0.041, respectively) and positively to BMI changes from 1.0 to 12.4 years ( P  = 0.031, 0.089, 0.016, respectively). Significant inverse ( P