The effects of minodronate and activated vitamin D on bone mineral density and muscle mass in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis

INTRODUCTION: Osteoporosis and sarcopenia are said to be similar disorders. However, few reports have described the effects of anti-osteoporosis drugs on muscle mass in clinical practice. METHODS: We selected 150 postmenopausal women with osteoporosis treated by minodronate (osteoporosis medication [OM] group) and 50 postmenopausal women without osteoporosis who did not receive treatment (no osteoporosis [NO] group). The OM group was further divided into two treatment subgroups: a combination of monthly minodronate and daily activated vitamin D vs. monthly minodronate alone. We measured lumbar spine and femoral neck bone mineral density (BMD) with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and muscle mass of the upper limbs, lower limbs, and trunk with bioelectrical impedance analysis at baseline and after 6 months. RESULTS: The OM and NO groups contained 130 and 37 patients, respectively (mean age: 73.9 ± 8.3 and 74.1 ± 10.0 years, respectively). In the OM group, lumbar spine BMD significantly increased after 6 months, while lower limb muscle mass significantly decreased. In the NO group, lumbar spine BMD and lower limb muscle mass did not significantly change after 6 months. In the OM group, BMD of the lumbar spine significantly increased but the lower limb muscle mass significantly decreased after 6 months relative to the NO group. In the combination therapy subgroup of the OM group muscle mass decreased significantly less than in the minodronate-alone subgroup. CONCLUSIONS: In postmenopausal women with osteoporosis, minodronate can increase BMD but cannot increase muscle mass. However, simultaneous use of activated vitamin D can suppress muscle mass decrease. The combination of activated vitamin D and minodronate may be useful for treating osteoporosis in postmenopausal women.