BONE-MINERAL DENSITY AND NUTRITIONAL FACTORS

The effect of dietary intake of Ca, P, vitamin D and proteins on vertebral mineral content both in normal subjects and in patients with osteoporosis has been evaluated. In order to assess the influence of the factors mentioned above on vertebral mineral content, 91 normal female subjects free from bone diseases, 20 patients with postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMO) and 17 patients with senile osteoporosis (SO) were studied. A dietary study was carried out by using a specific questionnaire. The vertebral bone mineral density (BMD) was evaluated by using a scanning bone mineralometer. A positive linear correlation was found between Ca and Ca/P ratio versus BMD. In SO patients, vitamin D correlates positively with BMD.