Differences in musculoskeletal health due to gender in a rural multiethnic cohort: a Project FRONTIER study.

BACKGROUND: Very few studies have investigated differences in musculoskeletal health due to gender in a large rural population. The aim of this study is to investigate factors affecting musculoskeletal health in terms of hand grip strength, musculoskeletal discomfort, and gait disturbance in a rural-dwelling, multi-ethnic cohort. METHODS: Data for 1117 participants (40 years and older, 70% female) of an ongoing rural healthcare study, Project FRONTIER, were analyzed. Subjects with a history of neurological disease, stroke and movement disorder were excluded. Dominant hand grip strength was assessed by dynamometry. Gait disturbance including stiff, spastic, narrow-based, wide-based, unstable or shuffling gait was rated. Musculoskeletal discomfort was assessed by self-reported survey. Data were analyzed by linear, logistic regression and negative binomial regressions as appropriate. Demographic and socioeconomic factors were adjusted in the multiple variable analyses. RESULTS: In both genders, advanced age was a risk factor for weaker hand grip strength; arthritis was positively associated with musculoskeletal discomfort, and fair or poor health was significantly associated with increased risk of gait disturbance. Greater waist circumference was associated with greater musculoskeletal discomfort in males only. In females, advanced age is the risk factor for musculoskeletal discomfort as well as gait disturbance. Females with fair or poor health had weaker hand grip strength. Higher C-reactive protein and HbA1c levels were also positively associated with gait disturbance in females, but not in males. CONCLUSION: This cross-sectional study demonstrates how gender affects hand grip strength, musculoskeletal discomfort, and gait in a rural-dwelling multi-ethnic cohort. Our results suggest that musculoskeletal health may need to be assessed differently between males and females.

Effect of green tea and Tai Chi on bone health in postmenopausal osteopenic women: a 6-month randomized placebo-controlled trial.

UNLABELLED: Postmenopausal women with osteopenia received green tea polyphenols (GTP) supplement and/or Tai Chi exercise for 6 months. Bone turnover biomarkers, calcium metabolism, and muscle strength were measured. This study showed that GTP supplementation and Tai Chi exercise increased bone formation biomarkers and improved bone turnover rate. Tai Chi exercise increased serum parathyroid hormone. GTP supplementation, Tai Chi exercise, and the combination of the two all improved muscle strength in postmenopausal women with osteopenia. INTRODUCTION: This study evaluated the effect of GTP supplementation and Tai Chi (TC) exercise on serum markers of bone turnover (bone-specific alkaline phosphatase, BAP, and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase, TRAP), calcium metabolism, and muscle strength in postmenopausal osteopenic women. METHODS: One hundred and seventy-one postmenopausal osteopenic women were randomly assigned to four groups: (1) placebo (500 mg starch/day), (2) GTP (500 mg GTP/day), (3) placebo + TC (placebo plus TC training at 60 min/session, three sessions/week), and (4) GTP + TC (GTP plus TC training). Overnight fasting blood and urine samples were collected at baseline, 1, 3, and 6 months for biomarker analyses. Muscle strength was evaluated at baseline, 3, and 6 months. One hundred and fifty subjects completed the 6-month study. RESULTS: Significant increases in BAP level due to GTP intake (at 1 month) and TC (at 3 months) were observed. Significant increases in the change of BAP/TRAP ratio due to GTP (at 3 months) and TC (at 6 months) were also observed. Significant main effect of TC on the elevation in serum parathyroid hormone level was observed at 1 and 3 months. At 6 months, muscle strength significantly improved due to GTP, TC, and GTP + TC interventions. Neither GTP nor TC affected serum TRAP, serum and urinary calcium, and inorganic phosphate. CONCLUSION: In summary, GTP supplementation and TC exercise increased BAP and improved BAP/TRAP ratio. TC exercise increased serum parathyroid hormone. GTP supplementation, TC exercise, and the combination of the two all improved muscle strength in postmenopausal women with osteopenia.

Green tea polyphenols attenuate deterioration of bone microarchitecture in female rats with systemic chronic inflammation.

UNLABELLED: Green tea polyphenols (GTP) are promising agents for preventing bone loss. GTP supplementation sustained microarchitecture and improved bone quality via a decrease in inflammation. Findings suggest a significant role for GTP in skeletal health of patients with chronic inflammation. INTRODUCTION: This study evaluated whether GTP can restore bone microstructure along with a molecular mechanism in rats with chronic inflammation. A 2 [placebo vs. lipopolysaccharide (LPS)]× 2 [no GTP vs. 0.5% GTP (w/v) in drinking water] factorial design was employed. METHODS: Female rats were assigned to four groups: placebo, LPS, placebo + GTP, and LPS + GTP for 12 weeks. Efficacy was evaluated by examining changes in bone microarchitecture using histomorphometric and microcomputed tomographic analyses and by bone strength using the three-point bending test. A possible mechanism was studied by assessing the difference in tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) expression in tibia using immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: LPS lowered trabecular volume fraction, thickness, and bone formation in proximal tibia while increasing osteoclast number and surface perimeter in proximal tibia and eroded surface in endocortical tibial shafts. GTP increased trabecular volume fraction and number in both femur and tibia and periosteal bone formation rate in tibial shafts while decreasing trabecular separation in proximal tibia and eroded surface in endocortical tibial shafts. There was an interaction between LPS and GTP in trabecular number, separation, bone formation, and osteoclast number in proximal tibia, and trabecular thickness and number in femur. GTP improved the strength of femur, while suppressing TNF-α expression in tibia. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, GTP supplementation mitigated deterioration of bone microarchitecture and improved bone integrity in rats with chronic inflammation by suppressing bone erosion and modulating cancellous and endocortical bone compartments, resulting in a larger net bone volume. Such a protective role of GTP may be due to a suppression of TNF-α.

Improvement of bone quality in gonad-intact middle-aged male rats by long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid.

The effect of long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) on bone measurements was evaluated in gonad-intact middle-aged male rats. Seven rats were killed on day 0 of dietary intervention to determine bone parameters at baseline. Experimental rats (7/group) were fed one of the following lipid treatments (g/kg diet): 167 g safflower oil + 33 g menhaden oil (N6+N3 diet, control), 200 g safflower oil (N6 diet), or 190 menhaden oil + 10 g corn oil (N3 diet). After 20 weeks of dietary treatment, all groups had lower values for peak load and ultimate stiffness in femurs compared to baseline values. Rats fed the N3 diet had the highest values for peak load, ultimate stiffness, and Young's modulus compared with those fed the N6 and control diets. Compared to baseline, all dietary treatment groups had significantly lower values for trabecular thickness and number in proximal tibia but higher values for trabecular separation and formation rate in proximal tibia and endocortical bone formation rate in tibial shaft. Compared with the control group, rats fed the N3 diet had lower values for formation rate, osteoclast number, and eroded surface in proximal tibia but higher values for periosteal mineral apposition and formation rates in tibia shaft. These findings indicate that a diet rich in long-chain n-3 PUFA mitigate aging-induced loss of bone integrity in intact middle-aged male rats through reducing bone turnover rate by suppressing both bone formation and resorption as a result of a larger net bone volume and modulating endocortical and cancellous bone compartments.