Association between fat mass and bone mineral density among Brazilian women differs by menopausal status: The Pró-Saúde Study

Abstract Objective To investigate the association between bone mineral density (BMD) and fat mass in a multiethnic population of Brazilian women, and to evaluate the influence of total body mass and lean mass on this association. Methods This is a cross-sectional study nested within the Pro-Saúde Study (EPS), a prospective cohort of university civil servants in Rio de Janeiro. Participants were pre (n=100) and postmenopausal (n=166) women. Total fat, lean mass and BMD of total body, lumbar spine and femoral neck were measured using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA).The association of BMD with fat mass was investigated after adjustment for total body mass (model 1) and lean mass (model 2) and potential confounding variables using multivariate linear regression models. Results In model 1, fat mass was inversely associated with BMD at total body ( B =-0.010; p