Cognitive decline is linked to a faster rate of bone loss in women, and fracture risk increases as cognitive abilities diminish, according to a new study.
Investigators analyzed 16 years-worth of skeletal health data from more than 2,300 participants aged 65 years and older. Participants had no symptoms of cognitive decline at the study’s start.
After adjusting for other variables, the researchers found a “significant link” between a decline in cognitive health and bone loss in women. “This association was weaker and not statistically significant in men,” reported Dana Bliuc, Ph.D., of the Garvan Institute of Medical Research in Australia.
In addition, women who experienced cognitive decline over the first five years of the study were 1.7-fold more likely to fracture a bone within the next 10 years — no matter the level of bone loss, she noted.
Although the study did not offer causal evidence, it suggests that best practice guidelines should encourage monitoring cognitive decline in tandem with bone health, as a decline in one may signal the need for increased vigilance in the other, the authors concluded.
The study was published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research.
