MedWire News: Daily use of nitrates is associated with increased bone mineral density (BMD) at the hip and spine in men and women aged 50 years or older, Canadian researchers report.
Nitric oxide plays a key role in bone remodeling and in vitro studies have shown that high levels can inhibit osteoclast activity, note Sophie Jamal (University of Toronto) and colleagues.
To determine if nitrates are associated with a change in BMD, Jamal and team analyzed data from 4006 participants of the prospective Canadian Multicentre Osteoporosis Study.
The study participants had their BMD measured at baseline and again 5 years later. They were also interviewed to collect demographic and lifestyle data and to assess nitrate use, which was defined as daily or intermittent.
Seventy-one (5%) of the 1419 men and 97 (3.7%) of the 2587 women studied reported daily nitrate use.
The researchers performed linear regression analysis adjusted for age, weight, and baseline differences to assess the annualized percent change in BMD for the study participants.
They found that men who did not use nitrates had a 1.3% decrease in BMD at the total hip and a 2.8% increase in BMD at the lumbar spine, compared with those who used nitrates. Similarly, women who did not use nitrates had a 1.9% decrease in BMD at the total hip and 2.1% increase at the lumbar spine compared with those who used nitrates.
In contrast, men who used nitrates on a daily basis had a 1.4% increase in BMD at the total hip and a 4.5% increase at the lumbar spine compared with non-users. Women who used nitrates on a daily basis had a 2.0% increase in BMD at the total hip and a 4.1% increase at the lumbar spine compared with non-users.
Of note, intermittent use of nitrates was not associated with increased BMD in men or women.
Jamal and co-authors conclude in the journal Osteoporosis International that their data confirm that nitrates have positive BMD effects in men and women.
They add: “More rigorous studies are needed to determine if there are differential effects based on nitrate dose, frequency of administration and/or duration of action.”
MedWire (www.medwire-news.md) is an independent clinical news service provided by Current Medicine Group, a part of Springer Science+Business Media. © Current Medicine Group Ltd; 2009
Free abstract
