Age- and gender-related differences in bone mineral status and biochemical markers of bone metabolism in Northern Chinese men and women

Abstract The aim of this study was to provide insight into the bone mineral status and biochemical markers of bone metabolism in a Chinese population from Shenyang, in the north of China, where hip fracture incidence is low. A total of 194 healthy men and women, aged 25–35 years and 65–75 years, were studied. Bone mineral density (BMD) at the lumbar spine (LS) and femoral neck (FN) was measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Fasting blood and 24 h urine samples were collected for bone alkaline phosphatase (bAP), osteocalcin, calcium, phosphate, and free deoxypyridinoline (Dpd). Both older women and men had lower BMD compared with younger women and men by 27.2 ± 3.0% (mean ± SE) and 9.8 ± 3.0% at the LS and 22.0 ± 3.4% and 12.8 ± 3.4% at the FN, respectively, after adjusting for bone and body size ( p p p p p