Age-related variations in trunk composition and patterns of regional bone and soft tissue changes in adult Caucasian women by DXA

We explored the regional variations in body composition with advancing age in healthy Caucasian females living in the Mediterranean area. The objectives of this study were to establish body composition values for the trunk in healthy women of a Greek origin and to evaluate the effects of aging on the distribution of truncal bone mass, fat mass (FM) and lean mass (LM). Body composition of the trunk and detailed analysis of its anatomical components-the ribs, the thoracic spine, the lumbar spine and the pelvis, and FM and LM ratios--were calculated in 330 women aged 20-85 years, using DXA. Peak bone mineral density (BMD) of the trunk was attained between ages 30 and 33. The overall truncal BMD reduction with age was 20.7% (p < 0.001). Peak %LM of the trunk was achieved at age 20. The overall reduction of %LM with age for the trunk was 9.8% (p < 0.001). Peak %FM of the trunk was attained between ages 68 and 73, and the overall %FM reduction with age was 2.8% (p > 0.05). Multiple comparative analyses showed that the 51-60 years age group was the landmark age for significant changes of truncal bone mass measures across all age groups (p = 0). For truncal LM and FM metrics, multigroup comparative analysis showed the turning point of significant changes in soft tissue was the 41-50 age bracket (p = 0 and p = 0, respectively). In Greek women, truncal %LM exceeded by far %FM across all ages (p = 0). Our results suggest that aging affects body composition of the trunk in ambulatory healthy women of a Greek origin differently, leading to menopausal loss of bone mass, senior adulthood loss of lean mass, and middle-age storage of fat mass. In adult women, these age-related associations between bone and soft tissue metrics on DXA exams carry implications for the attainment of optimal peak values and shifts in body composition overtime, impacting lifelong skeletal health.