AGE-RELATED AND WEIGHT-RELATED CHANGES IN TOTAL-BODY BONE-MINERAL IN MEN

Since the incidence of osteoporotic fractures in men increase with age, bone mass, as total body bone mineral content (TBBM) measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA), and other variables were determined in men in order to observe whether changes in these parameters justify the increased incidence of bone fractures in men with age. Measurements were conducted in 190 men aged 20-85 years. By correlation tests, no changes were observed in body weight and age. There was a significant correlation (r = 0.67981, r2 = 0. 46214, p < 0.001) between TBBM and body weight, and an inverse significant correlation between TBBM with age (r = 0.34729, r2 = 0.12061, p < 0.001); this decrease is linear with age and represents a 0.3% annual bone loss. These results suggest that lower weight and/or worse psychomotor response and its effects minimizing trauma, may be responsible for the high fracture rate observed in older males.