Bone turnover markers predict bone mass development in young adult men: A five-year longitudinal study

Abstract

Context: Peak bone mass is an important factor for the lifetime risk of developing osteoporosis. Ways to predict bone development in young adulthood are lacking. Objective and Main Outcome Measures: The aim of this study was to investigate whether baseline measurements of bone turnover markers could predict bone development in early adulthood in men. Design, Setting, and Participants: In total, 817 men (age at baseline, 18.9 ± 0.6 y; mean ± SD) from the population-based Gothenburg Osteoporos is and Obesity Determinants Studywereincluded in this 5-year longitudinal study. Areal bone mineral density (aBMD) and bone mineral content (BMC) were measured using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry, and volumetricBMD(vBMD) and cortical bone size weremeasured using peripheral quantitativecomputedtomography. Blood sampleswerecollected at the baseline visit, and levels of osteocalcin (OC) and N-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen were analyzed. Results: OC was a positive predictor of the increase in aBMD and BMC of the total body (R2: aBMD, 6.6%; BMC, 4.9%), lumbar spine (R2: aBMD, 5.4%; BMC, 5.7%), and radius (R2: aBMD, 14.8%; BMC, 12.8%) between 19 and 24 years (P