Body Composition and Bone Mineral Density in Patients With Heart Failure.
Demetrius A Abshire, Debra K Moser, Jody L Clasey and 5 others
PMID 27401014WHAT IT FOUND
In heart failure patients, higher lean mass and higher BMI were linked to higher bone density and lower odds of osteopenia/osteoporosis.
Key findings
01Higher BMI, higher relative skeletal muscle index, and higher mineral-free lean mass were each associated with higher total body bone mineral density.
02Mineral-free lean mass was the strongest predictor of total body bone mineral density among the body composition variables tested.
03Higher NYHA functional class and lower BMI, lower relative skeletal muscle index, and lower mineral-free lean mass were associated with higher odds for osteopenia/osteoporosis.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study was cross-sectional, so it cannot show that muscle mass or BMI caused higher bone density or lower osteopenia risk. Only 119 patients were analysed, and only 3% had osteoporosis, so the osteopenia/osteoporosis findings are imprecise. The sample was mostly male and Caucasian, so results may not apply to women or other groups. Important bone-related factors such as family history, parathyroid hormone, estrogen, testosterone, calcium supplements, and osteoporosis medications were not assessed. Bone density was measured only for total body, not spine or hip, which are common high-fracture-risk sites. Some BMI groups were combined because few patients were underweight or class III obese.
Declared interests
The supplied metadata lists NIH extramural and non-U.S. government research support. No author conflict-of-interest declaration is included in the supplied text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as proof that strength training or weight gain improves bone density in heart failure. The study is cross-sectional, so it cannot show cause, and it did not test any intervention.