Endocrine Abstracts

Available evidence suggests that unfavorable changes in the distribution of body fat resulting from hormonal imbalance associated with ovarian insufficiency may exert detrimental effects on bone mineral density (BMD). The aim of this study was to verify if densitometrically determined volumes of visceral (VAT), female (FAT) and android (AAT) adipose tissue influence BMD in women with menstrual disorders, and if these relationships are modulated by endocrine factors. The study included 293 Caucasian women (mean age 26.7±4.4 years) with at least 6-month history of secondary amenorrhea. Volume of fat in all analyzed regions correlated positively with BMD in lumbar spine (VAT: R=0.277, FAT: R=0.345, AAT: R=0.336) and entire skeleton (VAT: R=0.453, FAT: R=0.527, AAT: R=0.529). Moreover, BMD in the lumbar spine and entire skeleton correlated positively with body mass index (R=0.380 and R=0.599, respectively) and free androgen index values (R=0.150 and R=0.279), and showed inverse correlations with sex hormone-binding globulin (R=−0.191 and R=−0.326). None of the above mentioned parameters turned out to be an independent predictor of BMD. These findings imply that distribution of adipose tissue is only one of many determinants of BMD in women with ovarian insufficiency and therefore, should not be considered as a single risk marker for bone mass deficiency. Due to their specific metabolic and hormonal profile, physiological functional differences between subcutaneous and visceral adipose tissue in women with menstrual disorders seem to be blurred. As a result, determination of body fat distribution in patients with ovarian insufficiency is probably of lesser clinical importance.