| Objective To evaluate the relationship between vitamin E status and osteoporosis in early stage of postmenopausal women. Methods Anthropometric data, osteoporosis risk factors, vitamin E serum levels, bone mineral density (BMD), and other serum parameters which may influence BMD in postmenopausal women were collected in a cross-sectional study. The association between osteoporosis and age, age of menopause, body mass index, osteocalcin, calcium, vitamin D, vitamin E (measured as 25 hydroxyvitamin D and as α-tocopherol/lipids ratio, respectively), bone alkaline phosphatase, smoking status, leisure physical activity, and alcohol intake were analyzed using a multivariate logistic regression and multi-linear regression analysis in 232 early postmenopausal women. Results A lower vitamin E/lipid ratio was associated with osteoporosis in multivariate logistic regression. In a multivariate linear model with BMD of the lumbar spine as a dependent variable, the vitamin E/lipid ratio was clearly related with BMD of the lumbar spine (F ratio = 6.28, P = 0.001). BMD of the lumbar spine was significantly higher in the highest tertial of the vitamin E/lipid ratio than in the lowest tertial. The mean vitamin E/lipid ratio was significantly lower in osteoporotic postmenopausal women (3.1±0.5 μmol/mmol) than normal (neither osteoporotic nor osteopenic) postmenopausal women (3.6±0.6 μmol/mmol) using multivariable-adjusted BMD. Conclusion These findings highlight that vitamin E may increase BMD in healthy postmenopausal women. |