Food & Nutrition

Arab Journal of Food & Nutrition
50. Relationship between Osteoporosis and Certain Risk Factors of Food Habits,
Nutrient Intake, and Life-Style in a Group of Postmenopausal Jordanian Women
(2001)
Ruba Abdel Kareem A1-Abbasi\ University of Jordan
Supervisor: Dr. Ahmad M. Faqth
Co-Supervisor: Dr. Basel Masri
A random sample of 210 postmenopausal Jordanian women, aged 45-65 years, of
whom 59 were osteoporotte (OP), 84 osteopenic (OPN) and 67 normal (N) was used to
study the relationship between osteoporosis and certain eating habits, nutrient intake,
and life-style factors during adolescence and early adulthood, in addition to current
nutrient intake, using odds ratio with statistical significance considered at P 0.05. Bone
mineral density (BMD) was measured using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry
technique and classified according to the 1994 WHO classification.
Osteoporosis development was significantly associated with early dislikes for
milk, yogurt, labneh and white cheese but with early likes for coffee and cocoa. No
significant relationship was observed for OP women who liked soft drinks. However,
those who liked tea tended to be at a higher risk of developing OP. Regarding past lifestyle
factors, no significant relationship was observed between osteoporosis and
smoking, inactivity, exposure to sun daily or living in rural areas.
Except for women taking calcium supplements, the current intake of calcium as
based on the recommendations of 1994 National Institute Health Consensus
Conference was inadequate, giving a nutrient adequacy ratio (NAR) of 0.75, 0.54, and
0.62 for OP, OPN and N women, respectively. Based on the 1989 Recommended
Dietary Allowance (Food and Nutrition Board, 1989), the NAR for dietary calcium,
however, was deficient for both OPN (0.79) and normal women (0.88), but adequate
for OP women (1.09). Energy intake was inadequate for all groups, with NAR values
of about 0.80. Similarly, dietary fiber intake fell short of the recommended level of 15
g/ 1000 kcal, providing about one third of the recommended level for all groups. The
NAR values were, however, adequate for protein, phosphorus, magnesium, the
vitamins K and C. Sodium intake was more than three times the estimated minimum
requirements of 500 mg per day for all groups. Older age of 60-65 years, early
menopause, lower body weight of 50-59 kg, overweight versus obesity, smaller wrist
circumference, and not using hormone replacement therapy (RRT) were significantly
associated with OP.
In conclusion, data obtained in this study suggest that lower body weight, smaller
frame size, not using HRT; besides the dislikes for calcium-rich foods and the likes for
caffeine-containing beverages during adolescence and early adulthood were
significantly associated with the development of postmenopausal osteoporosis. Studied
life-style factors, however, were not significantly associated with OP development.
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