Bone health status was investigated in 178 free-living Chinese post-menopausal women in Kuala Lumpur. Body mass index (BMI), body composition (using whole body DXA),
calcium intake and serum 25-OH
vitamin D status were measured along with
biochemical markers of bone turnover, that is, pro-
collagen Type 1 N-terminal
peptide (P1NP),
osteocalcin (OC) and
C-telopeptide β cross link of
Type 1 collagen (CTX- β). Bone mineral density (BMD) was measured using DXA (Hologic, USA) at the lumbar spine, femoral neck and total hip. Results showed that
osteopenia was present in 50% of the subjects at the spine and 57.9% at the femoral neck.
Osteoporosis was diagnosed in 10% of the subjects at both the femoral neck and spine. A total of 29.3% of the subjects had high levels of CTX- β. Mean serum level of 25-OH
vitamin D was 60.4+15.6 nmol/L and 50.6% of the subjects had hypovitaminosis D (defined as < 50 nmol/l). Mean total
calcium intake of the subjects was 497 + 233 mg, of which only 14% met the RNI for
calcium with the additional intake of
calcium supplements. Body fat was also significantly correlated (r=0.181, p< 0.05) with BMD at the spine but not BMD at the femoral neck. Lean body mass was positively correlated with BMD at the spine (r=0.289, p< 0.001) and femoral neck (r=0.295, p< 0.001). CTX-β was negatively correlated with BMD at the spine (r= -0.235, p< 0.001), whereas P1NP (r=-0.215, p< 0.001) and
osteocalcin (r=-0.265, p< 0.001) were both negatively correlated with BMD at the femoral neck. Generally, the study found that women with
osteopenia had higher levels of bone turnover markers, less lean body mass and lower
calcium intake than women with normal BMD. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that the majority of free living Chinese post-menopausal women in Kuala Lumpur have low
calcium intake, low 25-OH
vitamin D status and low bone mass and elevated
biochemical markers of bone turnover.