Dietary choline increases BMD in postmenopausal women

Will Morton, Associate Editor, AuntMinnie.com. Headshot

A study has demonstrated for the first time a positive association between dietary choline with bone mineral density (BMD) in postmenopausal women. 

The finding is from an analysis of dietary intake and dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry scans from 4,160 postmenopausal women and supports the potential of choline-targeted nutrition strategies for osteoporosis prevention, noted lead author Jincheng Bai, MD, of the Third Hospital of Shanxi Medical University in Taiyuan, China, and colleagues.

โ€œCholine, a vital nutrient involved in lipid homeostasis and inflammatory pathways, has been associated with skeletal health. Yet its role in preserving bone density among postmenopausal populations, a group at high risk of osteoporosis, requires further investigation,โ€ the group wrote. The study was published July 2 in Scientific Reports

To that end, the group culled data from the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2007-2018. The NHANES program, jointly administered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Center for Health Statistics, employs a demographically stratified sampling framework to evaluate health and nutritional metrics among community-dwelling U.S. residents. 

For the analysis, they used a weighted linear regression model to characterize the dose-response relationship between total dietary choline intake and lumbar spine BMD. 

According to the results, in fully adjusted models, each 1 g/day increment in choline intake corresponded to a 0.082 g/cmยฒ increase in lumbar spine BMD. Participants in the highest choline intake quartile exhibited a 0.025 g/cmยฒ higher BMD compared with the lowest quartile. 

In addition, a stratified analysis showed significant effect modifications by obesity (p interactionโ€‰=โ€‰0.015), income (p interactionโ€‰=โ€‰0.003), and race (p interactionโ€‰=โ€‰0.039), with amplified protective effects observed in obese individuals, high-income subgroups, and non-Hispanic whites, the researchers reported. 

โ€œThis study demonstrates for the first time the positive association of dietary choline with BMD in postmenopausal women,โ€ the group wrote. 

Ultimately, the risk of osteoporotic fractures escalates when BMD falls below a certain threshold (T-score โ‰ค -2.5) and osteoporosis-related fractures diminish quality of life, increase fracture-associated mortality, and are responsible for substantial healthcare costs, the researchers wrote. 

However, early-stage bone loss often remains clinically silent until osteoporotic fractures occur, they noted. 

โ€œIdentifying modifiable factors influencing BMD in postmenopausal women is critical for refining osteoporosis risk assessment and advancing targeted prevention strategies,โ€ they concluded. 

The full study is available here

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