Association Between Insulin Resistance and Bone Structure in Nondiabetic Postmenopausal Women

Overview

Journal J Clin Endocrinol Metab

Publisher Oxford University Press

Specialty Endocrinology

Date 2016 Jun 1

PMID 27243136

Citations 48

Authors

Vikram V Shanbhogue

Joel S Finkelstein

Mary L Bouxsein

Elaine W Yu

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Context: The clinical consequences of insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia on bone remain largely unknown.

Objective: The objective of the study was to evaluate the effect of insulin resistance on peripheral bone geometry, volumetric bone mineral density (vBMD), bone microarchitecture, and estimated bone strength.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This cross-sectional study included 146 postmenopausal, nondiabetic Caucasian women (mean age 60.3 ± 2.7 y) who were participating in the Study of Women's Health Across the Nation.

Interventions: There were no interventions.

Main Outcome Measures: High-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography was used to assess bone density and microstructure at the distal radius and tibia. Fasting insulin and glucose were measured and insulin resistance was estimated using homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), with higher values indicating greater insulin resistance.

Results: There was a negative association between HOMA-IR and bone size and a positive association between HOMA-IR and total vBMD, trabecular vBMD, trabecular thickness, and cortical thickness at the radius and tibia. These relationships remained, even after adjusting for body weight and other potential covariates (eg, time since menopause, cigarette smoking, physical activity, prior use of osteoporosis medications or glucocorticoids).

Conclusions: In nondiabetic, postmenopausal women, insulin resistance was associated with smaller bone size, greater volumetric bone mineral density, and generally favorable bone microarchitecture at weight-bearing and nonweight-bearing skeletal sites. These associations were independent of body weight and other potential covariates, suggesting that hyperinsulinemia directly affects bone structure independent of obesity and may explain, in part, the higher trabecular bone density and favorable trabecular microarchitecture seen in individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

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