engleski

Mineral water and alcohol consumption are associated with body weight and bone, respectively, in older Croatian women

Studies on nutrition and life-style modifiers in relation to bone and body composition in older Croatian women are sparse. Our objective was to investigate the association of mineral water (MW), coffee and alcohol consumption and smoking with bone mineral density (BMD) and body weight in 120 healthy Croatian postmenopausal women aged 59.9± ; 7.3 (mean± ; SD) y, BMI 26.5± ; 3.8 kg/m2. Hip and spine BMD was assessed by Lunar-Prodigy. Nutrient assessment from 3-day dietary records was analyzed using the USDA Food Composition Tables and the Croatian National Institute of Public Health Tables. Subjects were also asked to record the consumption of alcohol, coffee, tea and mineral waters (MW) and smoking habits. Forty-two (35%) subjects consumed mineral water on a regular basis averaging 202± ; 196 ml/d that provided about 30.7± ; 32.3 mg/d Ca, 45.7± ; 93.0 mg/d Mg, 4.5± ; 5.3 mg/d K and 194.1± ; 189.5 mg/d of Na. Almost all subjects drank coffee (197± ; 104 ml/d) and 64 (53.3%)subjects consumed alcohol, most often wine, n=52 (97.1± ; 78.2 ml/d), beer, n=24 (170.8± ; 126.5 ml/d) and hard liquors, n=7 (12.4± ; 4.6 ml/d). Only 14 (11.7%) subjects smoked, averaging 13.3± ; 10.6 cigarettes/d. When subjects were divided based on the MW consumption (controlled for age), the difference in weight/BMI was statistically significant: 71.6 kg and 27.1 kg/m2 for non-consumers vs. 67.2 kg and 25.5 kg/m2 for consumers (p=0.0236 and 0.0176, respectively). There was no relationship betweenMW consumption and BMD of any skeletal sites, probably because mineral waters typically consumed in Croatia have no considerable amounts of minerals like Ca, Mg, K. Alcohol consumption was positively related with hip and spine BMD in multiple regression models (controlled for years-since-menopause, weight and/or height), while coffee consumption and smoking were not related to BMD or body weight, the latter one probably because only
12% of subjects smoked. In conclusion, consumption of MW might be beneficial for weight/BMI as it probably replaces other energy-rich drinks. Moderate alcohol consumption was beneficial for BMD of both hip and spine in this population of apparently healthy Croatian women, as was previously shown in other populations.

bone mineral density; diet; elderly women; Croatia

DOI: 10.1007/s00223-007-9018-0