Polluted air can accelerate bone loss linked to osteoporosis

By Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, Feb. 27, 2023 (HealthDay News) — Exposure to high levels of air pollutants is associated with bone damage in postmenopausal women, according to a new study that indicates the effects were most evident on the lumbar spine.

High levels of nitrogen oxides in the air nearly doubled the effects of normal aging on bone density in the spine, researchers at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health in New York said. .

This study was the first to explore the effects of air pollution mixtures on bone outcomes, the researchers said. He was also the first to explore the link between air pollution and bone mineral density in postmenopausal women.

Researchers analyzed data from an ethnically diverse population of 161,000 postmenopausal women as part of a long-running study of women’s health in the United States. To estimate levels of exposure to pollutants, including PM10 (small particulate air pollution), nitric oxide, nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide, the researchers used participants’ home addresses.

Traffic exhaust and emissions from power plants are the main producers of nitrogen oxides.

Bone density was measured at study enrollment and after one, three, and six years using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry commonly referred to as a DEXA scan. The scans included the whole body, total hip, femoral neck and lumbar spine.

The researchers said the magnitude of the effects of nitrogen oxides on lumbar spine density would amount to 1.22% annual losses. This is almost double the annual effect of age on any of the anatomical sites assessed, they noted.

Researchers suspect that these effects occur through the death of bone cells through oxidative damage and other mechanisms.

“Our results confirm that poor air quality may be a risk factor for bone loss,” said the first author. Dr. Diddier Pradaresearch associate at the Mailman School.

“For the first time, we have evidence that nitrogen oxides, in particular, are a major contributor to bone damage and that the lumbar spine is one of the most susceptible sites to this damage,” Prada said in a press release from Columbia. The study only found an association between pollution levels and bone density, not a causal link.

About 2.1 million osteoporosis-related bone fractures occur each year, according to the study. These result in up to $20.3 billion in annual direct health costs.

About 80% of the 10 million Americans with osteoporosis are women. Women who have gone through menopause are more at risk: approximately 1 in 2 women over the age of 50 experience a bone fracture due to osteoporosis.

“Improvements in exposure to air pollution, particularly nitrogen oxides, will reduce bone damage in postmenopausal women, prevent bone fractures, and reduce the burden of healthcare costs associated with osteoporosis in postmenopausal women,” said the lead author. Dr. Andrea Baccarelli, chair of environmental health sciences at Columbia. “Further efforts should focus on detecting those most at risk of air pollution-related bone damage.”

The US National Institutes of Health has more on osteoporosis.

SOURCE: Columbia University, Mailman School of Public Health, press release, February 22, 2023

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