Abstract
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this work was to examine the effects of age and menopause on muscle strength and on the muscle-bone interaction.
DESIGN
One hundred ninety-four healthy women (mean age 49.8 ± 12.6 SD years) were assessed. Maximal Voluntary Contraction (MVC, Newton, N) by Hand Grip Dynamometer, bone mineral density at one third of the radius (R-BMD) by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and phalangeal ultrasound by the DBM Sonic 1200 device were evaluated at the upper dominant limb. Ultrasonometric parameters considered were Amplitude-Dependent Speed of Sound (ADSoS) and Ultrasound Bone Profile Index (UBPI).
RESULTS
MVC significantly decreased with age (r2=−0.12, p<0.005). For each level of age, fertile women had a greater MVC compared to postmenopausal women (r2=0.015, p<0.005). In the whole sample, a statistically significant correlation between MVC and R-BMD (r=0.354, p<0.001) and between MVC and ADSoS (r=0.294) and UBPI (r=0.311)(p<0.001 for both) were observed.
CONCLUSIONS
We conclude that age and menopausal status significantly contributed to the reduction of muscle strength. The decline of muscular strength significantly correlated with quantitative and qualitative bone features.
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Cipriani, C., Romagnoli, E., Carnevale, V. et al. Muscle strength and bone in healthy women: effect of age and gonadal status. Hormones 11, 325–332 (2012). https://doi.org/10.14310/horm.2002.1361
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.14310/horm.2002.1361