THURSDAY, June 28 (HealthDay News) -- Muscle mass is associated with bone parameters at several sites in the body, according to a study published online May 23 in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research.

To examine the association between appendicular skeletal muscle mass (ASM) relative to height squared (relative ASM) and bone parameters, Nathan K. LeBrasseur, P.T., Ph.D., from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and colleagues used conventional and high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography in a cohort of 272 women and 317 men (aged 20 to 97 years).

The researchers found that, in women, relative ASM correlated significantly with cortical thickness (CtTh) at the femoral neck, lumbar spine, radius, and tibia, even when adjusting for age and physical activity. Trabecular volumetric bone mineral density (vBMD) at the femoral neck and spine and trabecular bone volume to tissue volume, number (TbN), thickness, and separation (TbSp) at the radius were also associated significantly with relative ASM. In men, when adjusting for age and physical activity, relative ASM was significantly associated with CtTh at all sites. After adjustment for age, the associations between relative ASM and trabecular vBMD at the spine were not significant, although relative ASM was significantly associated with trabecular vBMD at the femoral neck and TbN and TbSp at the radius. In both sexes, the most robust predictors of relative ASM were serum insulin-like growth factor binding protein-2 levels.

"Collectively, these data add to the growing body of evidence supporting the highly-integrated nature of skeletal muscle and bone, and provide new insights into potential biomarkers that reflect the health of the musculoskeletal system," the authors write.

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