Abstract

OBJECTIVES: Excess dietary salt causes increased urinary calcium and this may lead to bone loss. We proposed to study the association between dietary salt intake and bone health in postmenopausal women from southern India.

METHODS: An observational study in which community-dwelling postmenopausal women were recruited. Daily salt intake and urine calcium/creatinine ratio were assessed. Bone biochemistry and densitometric parameters such as bone mineral density (BMD), trabecular bone score (TBS) vertebral fractures, and bone strain index (BSI) were assessed using Dual Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry (DXA).

RESULTS: A total of 383 postmenopausal women with a mean ± SD age of 59.8 ± 7.2 years and BMI of 25.2 ± 4.6 kg/m were recruited. Among the participants, 165/383(43.1%) had osteoporosis at any site and 21% had moderate-severe vertebral fractures. The BMD at lumbar spine and femoral neck, TBS and BSI were significantly ( 

CONCLUSIONS: Excess dietary salt is associated with high urinary calcium and compromised bone health among postmenopausal women from southern India. This may be a modifiable risk factor in osteoporosis and warrants further research.