Association between bone trace elements and osteoporosis in older adults: a cross-sectional study

Shangjin Lin; Fengjian Yang; Ming Ling; Yongqian Fan

doi:10.1177/1759720X221125984

Association between bone trace elements and osteoporosis in older adults: a cross-sectional study

Ther Adv Musculoskelet Dis. 2022 Sep 28:14:1759720X221125984. doi: 10.1177/1759720X221125984. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Shangjin Lin¹, Fengjian Yang¹, Ming Ling¹, Yongqian Fan²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Orthopaedic, Huadong Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
² Department of Orthopaedic, Huadong Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China.

Abstract

Objectives: Metal micronutrients deficiency may be one of the risk factors for the development of osteoporosis. This study aimed to measure the trace element contents in human bone tissue to analyze the relationship between micronutrients and osteoporosis.

Design: A cross-sectional survey was performed on data from 51 elderly patients with proximal femoral fracture.

Methods: The concentrations of calcium, phosphorus, manganese, iron, copper, and zinc in bone tissue samples from 51 elderly patients with proximal femoral fracture were determined by energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDX). Subjects were divided into osteoporosis and non-osteoporosis groups according to their bone mineral density (BMD) T-score values. The difference in metal elements concentrations in bone tissue between the two groups was compared, and the role of metal elements in osteoporosis was discussed.

Results: There was no statistical difference in age, sex, body mass index (BMI), serum albumin, biochemical blood indices, and bone turnover markers between the two groups. The Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare the difference in metal elements concentrations in bone tissue samples between the two groups. The results showed that manganese, copper, and zinc concentrations in the cancellous bone were significantly higher in the non-osteoporosis group than in the osteoporosis group. Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that high bone zinc concentration [odds ratio = 0.26, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.075-0.928, p = 0.038] was negatively correlated with osteoporosis.

Conclusion: Manganese, copper, and zinc play an essential role in bone mineralization and metabolism. Among them, zinc may be most closely related to osteoporosis and play a key role in bone development and maintenance of bone mass. Therefore, we believe that the design of zinc-rich compounds or nutrients as a new complementary factor to increase the intake of zinc for the elderly could be able to prevent and intervene in the occurrence of osteoporosis in the early stage.

Keywords: BMD; EDX; osteoporosis; trace element; zinc.