ADIPOSE TISSUE AS A RISK FACTOR IN MEN'S OSTEOPOROSIS.

Adiposity is more and more incriminated as a risk factor for bone health, but studies do not allow a consensus regarding the relative influence of lean and fat mass on bone density. Our cross-sectional study aimed towards ascertaining their probable different and weight-independent effect. Body composition and bone mineral density was assessed in 244 healthy men aged 20-87, using dual X-ray absorptiometry. All clinical risk factors were recorded. Principal Component Analysis, MANOVA, and MANCOVA multivariate tests were used to detect independent predictors of BMD and collinearity patterns between variables. Weight, height, absolute lean mass, and absolute fat mass were collinear interchangeable variables. An eight-model multiple multivariate analysis identified weight, combined or not to the proportion of fat mass, to best explain the variation of bone mineral density in each of five bone areas measured. Clinical factors constantly associated to bone mass were also the patients' age and their history of fractures. Physical activity and thiazide diuretics treatment were inconstantly associated to bone density. We concluded that body composition achieves its effect on bone density in close relation to body weight, but also individually. Fat tissue proportion is an independent negative predictor of bone density, while lean tissue proportion is a positive one. Multicollinearity of variables allows us to rely only upon some anthropometric parameters, ignoring others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]