Southampton research shows early bone growth linked to bone density in later life
Researchers from the University of Southampton, in collaboration with a research group in Delhi, India, have shown that growth in early childhood can affect bone density in adult life, which could lead to an increased risk of developing bone diseases like osteoporosis.
The study, led by Professor Caroline Fall of the Medical Research Council (MRC) Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit at the University of Southampton, is part of the University's ongoing work in assessing the causes of common diseases at different stages of life from before conception through to old age, and the ways in which environmental influences affect gene expression to produce disease.
Over the past 10 years Professor Fall and the Delhi team have been studying the relationship between height and body mass index (BMI) during childhood and adult outcomes, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes and now bone mineral content (BMC) and bone density.
The study, which is published online in Osteoporosis International and was funded by the British Heart Foundation, relates measurements of bone mass and density at the lumbar spine, femoral neck and forearm to birth size and childhood weight and height growth among 565 men and women from the New Delhi Birth Cohort.
The results showed that size at birth and height growth during early childhood contribute significantly to adult bone mass, while BMI in later childhood was positively related to adult bone density. These findings suggest that nutrition in childhood is an important determinant of adult bone health and in the prevention of developing bone disease like Osteoporosis.
Osteoporosis causes some of the struts within the bone to become thin making it more fragile and prone to break even after a minor bump or fall. Half of women and one in five men over the age of 50 will break a bone mainly because of Osteoporosis.
Professor Fall says: "The risk of osteoporotic fracture depends on two factors: the mechanical strength of bone and the forces applied to it. We know that bone mass is an established determinant of bone strength and adult bone mass depends upon the peak attained during skeletal growth and the subsequent rate of bone loss. Peak bone mass is partly inherited, but environmental and lifestyle factors do play a part too. If we can improve childhood nutrition and that of the mother while pregnant, the risk of bone disease in later life can be reduced."
Professor Cyrus Cooper, Director of the MRC Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit at the University of Southampton, adds: "This study emphasises the huge benefits of studying cohorts in both developed and developing populations, which permit the opportunity to explore the early origins of common chronic disorders such as osteoporosis."
Notes for editors
- 1. To view the study please visit http://www.springerlink.com/content/7440qu46p4322016/
- 2. The New Delhi Birth Cohort was established in 1969-1972. All families living in a 12 km² area were identified and 20,755 married women of reproductive age were followed up bi-monthly to record menstrual dates. There were 9,169 pregnancies, resulting in 8,181 live births. Trained personnel recorded the weight and length/height of the babies at birth and 6 monthly until the age of 21 years. Members of the cohort have gone on to take part in a number of studies conducted by the University of Southampton. More information can be found at http://www.mrc.soton.ac.uk/index.asp?page=233
- 3. The MRC Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit falls within the University of Southampton's Faculty of Medicine. Medicine celebrates its 40 th anniversary this academic year (2011/12). During this time Medicine has trained thousands of doctors and scientists, and has led cutting-edge research in areas as diverse as cancer, osteoporosis, asthma and nutrition. Medicine leads learning and discovery across the lifecourse frombefore birth to the elderly,by investing in multi-disciplinary research teams, creative educational programmes and initiating externalpartnerships and collaborations. The University of Southampton is a national leader in medical education, with an outstanding reputation for our combined expertise in research and teaching.
- 4. The University of Southampton is a leading UK teaching and research institution with a global reputation for leading-edge research and scholarship across a wide range of subjects in engineering, science, social sciences, health and humanities.
With over 23,000 students, around 5000 staff, and an annual turnover well in excess of £435 million, the University of Southampton is acknowledged as one of the country's top institutions for engineering, computer science and medicine. We combine academic excellence with an innovative and entrepreneurial approach to research, supporting a culture that engages and challenges students and staff in their pursuit of learning.
The University is also home to a number of world-leading research centres including the Institute of Sound and Vibration Research, the Optoelectronics Research Centre, the Web Science Trust and Doctoral training Centre, the Centre for the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease, the Southampton Statistical Sciences Research Institute and is a partner of the National Oceanography Centre at the Southampton waterfront campus.
For further information contact:
Becky Attwood , Media Relations, University of Southampton, Tel: 023 8059 5457, email: r.attwood@soton.ac.uk
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