An investigation of ethnic differences in bone mineral, hip axis length, calcium metabolism and bone turnover between West African and Caucasian adults living in the United Kingdom.

The aim of the study was to investigate factors relating to calcium and bone metabolism which might explain the low incidence of osteoporotic fracture among Africans. Adult bone mineral status, hip axis length and biochemical indices were investigated in 20 Caucasians (10 male, 10 female) and 19 Gambians (12 male, 7 female) living in the UK. Bone mineral content (BMC), bone mineral density (BMD) and BMC adjusted for bone area, body weight and height (size-adjusted BMC) were measured for the whole-body, lumbar spine, femoral neck, trochanter, radius shaft and radius wrist using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. There were no significant differences in whole body or regional BMC; values tended to be lower in the Gambians. Gambian men had higher size-adjusted BMC at the femoral neck (Gambian-British=21%, 95% CI=6 to 36%, p<0.01), associated with a smaller bone area (Gambian-British=-11%, 95% CI=-20 to-2%, p=0.02). BMD was affected similarly. No other significant differences in BMD or sizeadjusted BMC were...