Association of high-density lipoprotein, triglycerides, and homocysteine with bone mineral density in young Indian tribal women

A Summary This study investigated association between lipids and homocysteine (Hcy) with bone mineral density (BMD) in young women as opposed to previous studies on elderly women. HDL, triglyceride, and Hcy are significantly associated with BMD in young women and tobacco and alcohol consumption have no effect on this association. Purpose The present study investigates whether the association of serum lipids and homocysteine (Hcy) with bone mineral density (BMD) reported mostly in elderly population can be generalized to young or premenopausal women, consequently suggesting screening of young women with low BMD for dyslipidemia or any cardiovascular events and vice versa. Methods Women (n=293, aged 20-47 years) from Northeast India belonging to Tibeto-Burman origin were enrolled. Information about their physical and clinical attributes were collected by a structured questionnaire. Their BMDs at lumbar spine and femur were measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and sera were profiled for lipid parameters and Hcy by auto-analyzer and ELISA, respectively. Women consuming tobacco and/or alcohol were grouped as consumers and others as non-consumers for the analysis. Results Positive correlation of BMD with HDL (spine and femur r=0.38, p<0.0001) and triglyceride (spine r=0.534, p<0.0001; femur r=0.423, p<0.0001) was observed, whereas Hcy correlated negatively with BMD (spine r=-0.189, p=0.0026; femur r=-0.273, p<0.0001). LDL showed a weak negative correlation with BMD (spine r=-0.128, p=0.0283; femur r=-0.199, p=0.0006). However, after adjusting for age, BMI, and consumption, HDL, triglyceride, and Hcy continued to show significant correlation with BMD at both the sites. Logistic regression analyses indicated that HDL, triglyceride, and Hcy were significant predictors of osteopenia and osteoporosis in our study cohort; however, consumption did not contribute to its prediction. Conclusion Low levels of HDL and triglyceride and high levels of Hcy are significantly associated with osteopenia and osteoporosis in young Northeast Indian women.