The relationship between anthropometric factors and BMD of lumbar spine in athletic and non-athletic premenopausal women

It has been shown that body weight affects on Bone Mineral Density (BMD). Body weight composed of Fat Mass (FM) and Lean Body Mass (LBM), each of them affects on BMD differently. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between anthropometric factors (FM, LBM and BMI) and BMD of lumbar spine in athletic (runners) and non athletic premenopausal women. The subjects included 15 female athletes and 15 female non-athletes (30-45 years). All female runners (experimental group) were running 8 km in each session, 3 sessions per week for at least 4 years. However, the control group (female non-athletes) had no specific sport activity. Body Mass Index (BMI) of subjects was calculated manually. BMD, FM and LBM also measured by using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). The results showed that in the experimental group there is a significant relationship between LBM and BMD of lumbar spine and in the control group, FM and BMD of lumbar spine were related tp each other significantly. The results also showed that there is not relationship between BMI and BMD of lumbar spine in the two groups. The authors suggest that LBM and FM may predict respectively BMD of lumbar spine in athletic and non-athletic pre-menopause women.