Relationships between muscle mass, strength and regional bone mineral density in young men

Abstract

Purpose Although the relationship between body composition and bone mineral density (BMD) is well established, the relative contribution of appendicular lean mass (ALM) and fat mass (FM) to BMD has been rarely evaluated in young men. Methods We assessed 100 young men (age: 24.4±2.8 years, BMI: 23.4±2.81 kg/m 2 ). Appendicular lean mass index (ALM/H 2 ) (ALMI), fat mass index (FM/ H 2 ) (FMI), percentage of body fat, BMD at lumbar spine (LS), total hip (TH), femoral neck (FN) and whole body (WB) were measured using DXA. Muscle strength was evaluated by handgrip strength. Pearson’s correlations and interactions between all variables were assessed using stepwise regression analyses. Results ALM index (ALMI) was positively correlated with BMD at all sites (r = 0.62 for WB p<0.05, r = 0.54 for FN p<0.05, r = 0.64 for TH p<0.05, r = 0.56 for LS p<0.05) whereas FMI was not correlated to BMD values. Stepwise regression analyses showed that ALMI produced a significant and positive influence on BMD (β = 0.07 for WB p<0.001, β = 0.04 for FN p<0.001, β = 0.06 for TH p<0.001). Conversely, FMI was negatively associated with BMD at all sites (β = -0.02 for WB p<0.001, β = - 0.03 for FN p<0.001, β = - 0.03 for TH p<0.001, β = - 0.07 for LS p<0.001). Handgrip strength and BMDs were significantly and positively associated at all sites. Conclusions Our data suggest that BMD was positively associated with ALMI while negatively with FMI. We confirm that ALMI is the strongest factor associated with BMD in a population of young men.

Age- and Strain-Related Differences in Bone Microstructure and Body Composition During Development in Inbred Male Mouse Strains

“…In addition to age-and strain-related differences in skeletal morphology, we explored how changes in body composition (muscle, fat) and relevant biochemical markers relate to skeletal characteristics during development. In human studies, there is consensus that lean mass is positively associated with bone parameters [4][5][6][7]12]. Furthermore, some [8,10], albeit not all [9], studies, have shown that peak muscle mass precedes peak bone mass, further supporting the notion that muscle accrual impacts bone acquisition.…”

“…Among other modifiable factors, the relationship between body composition (muscle and fat mass) and bone during growth in humans has gained considerable interest [1,4]. Several pediatric studies suggest that muscle mass and bone mass are closely linked during development [4][5][6][7]. Less clear is, however, whether muscle development is driving skeletal development (mechanostat theory) and therefore, whether the attainment of peak muscle mass precedes the acquisition of peak bone mass [8][9][10].…”

Different amount of training affects body composition and performance in High-Intensity Functional Training participants

“…Interestingly, a statistically significant relationship was found between Arms aBMD and Appendicular LSTMI, which remained significant even after adjusting for CF experience. LSTMI has been positively associated with aBMD at the WB- and regional levels in young men [ 25 , 26 ], indicating that increasing skeletal muscle mass may contribute to increased aBMD at the upper limb. The hypothesis that the non-weight bearing parts of the skeleton respond to CF participation in a dose-dependent manner deserves further investigation.…”

Soluble RANKL exaggerates hindlimb suspension-induced osteopenia but not muscle protein balance

“…Previous findings suggest that muscle mass correlates with estimates of bone strength such as bone mineral density 3,4 . This relationship might be expected given that muscle is a primary source of mechanical stimuli for bone.…”