Association between lipid biomarkers and osteoporosis: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: Osteoporosis and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are 2 major public health problems. Osteoporosis and CVDs may be linked but the association between lipid profile and osteoporosis is still controversial. The purpose of this study was to examine the associations of total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and triglyceride (TG) with osteoporosis. METHODS: Using inpatients’ and outpatients’ electronic medical records (EMR) and dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) database stored at The Second Hospital of Jilin University, we included 481 individuals with complete and valid lipid and bone mineral density (BMD) data in 2017. Serum samples were used to measure TC, LDL-C, HDL-C and TG. Femoral neck and total hip BMD were measured by DXA; osteoporosis was defined as femoral neck or total hip T-score ≤ -2.5. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to test the associations of TC, LDL-C, HDL-C and TG with osteoporosis. RESULTS: The mean age for included individuals was 62.7 years (SD = 8.6 years); 60.1 % of them were female. Each standard deviation (SD) increase in TC (Odds Ratio [OR]: 1.48; 95 % Confidence Interval [CI]: 1.06–2.07) and TG (OR: 1.67; 95 % CI: 1.16–2.39) were associated with increased risk of osteoporosis; LDL-C and HDL-C levels were not associated with osteoporosis. Age, sex and body mass index (BMI) did not interact with the relationships of TC and TG with osteoporosis (all P > 0.10). CONCLUSIONS: Higher TC and TG levels were associated with greater risk of osteoporosis in this cross-sectional study. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12891-021-04643-5.