Puberty and Mineralization of the Skeleton in Girls

: We studied the acquisition of bone mineral and related changes in body mass, pubertal status, and sex hormones in 75 healthy prepubertal and pubertal girls aged 7.5-16 years. Bone mineral density of the lumbar spine (L-1, L-2, L-3, L-4) was measured in children by quantitative computerized tomography. Skeletal mineralization accelerated markedly at puberty. Age, weight, height, and body mass index (BMI) were highly correlated with bone mineral density.