| Objectives To investigate the relationship between serum sclerostin level, fat mass, and bone mineral density (BMD) in postmenopausal women. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in 230 healthy central southern Chinese postmenopausal women with or without osteoporosis, aged 50–75 years old. Dual X-ray absorptiometry was used to measure bone mineral content and BMD of whole body, lumbar spine and left femur, and total body soft tissue composition. Serum sclerostin levels were measured by a quantitative sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results Compared with women without osteoporosis, osteoporotic women had a significantly lower level of serum sclerostin (P<0.05). Serum sclerostin levels were positively correlated with body weight and fat mass. There was a positive correlation between sclerostin and BMD of the whole body and at various sites (P<0.05), even after controlling for age, age at menopause, height and body weight. Multiple linear stepwise regression analysis showed that serum sclerostin level was the most significant determinant of both whole-body and lumbar spine BMD, compared with age, age at menopause, fat mass and lean mass. Age had similar impact as serum sclerostin on hip BMD. Conclusions This study showed that in postmenopausal women, serum sclerostin was lower in women with osteoporosis than those without. Serum sclerostin was positively correlated with fat mass and BMD of whole body, lumbar spine and hip. |