Relationships of serum lipid profiles and bone mineral density in postmenopausal Chinese women.

Objectives Recent studies suggest that serum lipid profiles are related to bone mineral density ( BMD). But data about this relationship on Chinese population are scarce. We investigated the relationships between serum lipid and BMD in postmenopausal Chinese women. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in 790 Chinese postmenopausal women. BMDs were measured by dual X-ray absorptiometry. Serum lipid profiles were obtained after a 12-h fasting. Results Women with serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ( HDL-C) levels of at least 1·55 mmol/l had a greater prevalence of osteoporosis compared with women with lower HDL-C (≤1·54 mmol/l). After controlling for age, menopausal duration, body mass index, serum creatinine levels, outdoor activity, smoking and alcohol intake, high HDL-C levels were associated with osteoporosis ( OR = 1·64, 95% CI 1·16-2·33, P < 0·01). BMD at femoral neck and total hip was significantly lower in the higher HDL-C class than the lower class (0·722 ± 0·118 vs 0·744 ± 0·120 g/cm², P < 0·01; 0·800 ± 0·126 vs 0·824 ± 0·125 g/cm², P < 0·01, respectively). No association was found between total cholesterol ( TC), triglyceride ( TG) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol ( LDL-C) with BMD. Conclusions In Chinese postmenopausal women, elevated levels of serum HDL-C had a greater probability of being osteoporosis than the lower HDL-C levels. Our analysis showed higher HDL-C level that is favourable for cardiovascular diseases should be regarded as a risk factor for osteoporosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]