A Sudo, N Miyamoto, Y Kasai, T Yamakawa, A Uchida
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Mie University School of Medicine, Mie, Japan

OBJECTIVE. To compare the bone mineral density of residents of a mountain village with that of residents of a fishing village in Mie Prefecture, Japan.

METHODS. Microdensitometry was used to measure bone mineral density of the second metacarpal bone of 202 participants living in a mountain village and of 852 participants living in a fishing village to identify contributory factors for osteoporosis. The participants were interviewed using a questionnaire on alcohol consumption, fish intake, milk intake, and daily activity.

RESULTS. Analysis of covariance revealed that bone mineral density was significantly higher among the participants living in a fishing village than among those living in a mountain village (2.5–2.9 versus 2.1–2.7 mmAl; p<0.001). A higher proportion of women in the fishing village than of those in the mountain village consumed alcohol (17% versus 10%; p<0.05).

CONCLUSION. Nutrition may be a contributory factor to the lower incidence of osteoporosis among residents of the fishing village compared with those of the mountain village.

Key words: bone density; osteoporosis; risk factors