Abstract
Biochemical markers of bone turnover have been shown to be useful as inexpensive and noninvasive tools for monitoring skeletal health. Because duel energy absorptiometry and other indicators of bone mineral density reflect changes to bone accumulated over months, we sought to assess bone health and to explore potential sex differences in bone metabolism. Bone‐specific alkaline phosphatase (ALP), 25‐hydroxy‐and 1, 25‐dihydroxyvitamin D, calcium, phosphate, and parathyroid hormone (PTH) in 359 men and women (n=77 and 282, respectively) between the ages of 18 and 80 years old. Subjects were placed in one of three age groups (20–50, 51–70 and >;71 years of age for men and 18–40, 41–60, and >;60 years of age for women, and into a self‐identified ethnicity category. As expected, we found a downward trend in bone densities as subjects got older. We also found that ALP values were significantly lower in the older cohort of males and significantly higher in the older cohort of females when compared to their respective younger cohort (p<0.01). We propose an index utilizing PTH and ALP ratios that may reflect the metabolic direction for bone health. Given the complexities of hormonal, nutrient and activity levels of elderly subjects, these data suggest that the mechanisms that contribute to bone remodeling may be different in males when compared to females. This research was funded by Irvine Health Foundation.
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