Wrinkles will predict the risk of fractures

Associate Professor at Yale University Lubna Pal he claims that the severity of wrinkles in menopausal women can be used as an indicator of the state of bone tissue and the likelihood of bone fractures.

The composition of the skin and bone tissue includes the same proteins, and the aging process is simultaneously accompanied by deterioration of the skin and osteoporosis. Pal presented data confirming this statement at the Annual Congress of the Society of Endocrinologists held on June 4-7 in Boston.

Researchers working under the guidance of Pal tested this hypothesis on a sample of women in early menopause (no more than 3 years after the cessation of menstruation) who participated in the ongoing clinical trial KEEPS (Kronos Early Estrogen Prevention Study). They analyzed the nature of wrinkles of 114 women in 11 areas of the face and neck on a visual scale and assessed the elasticity of the skin of the forehead and cheeks using a special device – a durometer. The volume and density of the women's bone tissue were measured using X-ray absorptiometry with two levels of radiation energy and ultrasound.

It turned out that an increase in the number and depth of wrinkles correlates with a decrease in bone density, and this relationship does not depend on age and known factors affecting the condition of bones. At the same time, higher skin elasticity corresponds to better bone density indicators.

The researchers believe that the data they have obtained is very important, since they make it possible to identify women at risk for bone fractures "by eye" without conducting expensive examinations.

Evgeniya Ryabtseva
Portal "Eternal youth" www.vechnayamolodost.ru Based on Yale University – Not Just Skin and Bones: Wrinkles Could Predict Women's Bone Fracture Risk.

10.06.2011