Circulating irisin is linked to bone mineral density in geriatric Chinese men

BACKGROUND: While there is evidence of a link between irisin and bone metabolism, prior clinical evaluations have been limited to women with postmenopausal osteoporosis. The primary goal of this evaluation is to examine the relationship between irisin and bone mineral density (BMD) in geriatric Chinese men experiencing osteoporosis or osteopenia. METHODS: In this case–control study, 43 geriatric Chinese men were verified as having osteoporosis or osteopenia via dual-energy X-ray light absorption spectrophotometry, and 24 subjects were accepted as the controls. Serum irisin levels were detected by a commercial ELISA kit. RESULTS: Serum irisin levels were lowered in geriatric Chinese men with osteopenia and osteoporosis, and multiple linear regression analysis revealed that the serum irisin level is an independent factor impacting BMD. CONCLUSIONS AND DISCUSSION: Our data confirm a positive correlation between irisin levels and BMD in geriatric Chinese men. Irisin has a protective effect on bone health dependent on BMD, but large clinical trials are still required to verify the irisin and BMD relationship.