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Serum Osteocalcin and Total Body Calcium in Normal Pre- and Postmenopausal Women and Postmenopausal Osteoporotic Patients^*

SUNY Health Science Center Brooklyn, New York 11203
The Children’s Hospital Medical Center Boston, Massachusetts 02115
Winthrop University Hospital Mineola, New York 11501
Brookhaven National Laboratory Upton, New York 11973

Address requests for reprints to: Dr. S. Yasumura, Medical Research Center, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York 11973.

Serum osteocalcin was measured in 51 normal pre- and 114 postmenopausal women and in 41 postmenopausal osteoporotic patients. Total body calcium (TBCa) was determined in the same individuals by neutron activation analysis. Many of the perimenopausal nonosteoporotic women had increased serum osteocalcin values, but 15 yr or more after the menopause most of the women had serum osteocalcin levels in the normal range. Comparing normal women before and after menopause, the mean serum osteocalcin levels [7.8 ± 4.7 (±SE) and 10.1 ± 9.4 ng/mL] were not significantly different; however, the TBCa values (898 ± 99 and 806 ± 111 g) were significantly different (P < 0.001). When the normal postmenopausal women were regrouped according to high vs. low osteocalcin values, TBCa and phosphorus content as well as forearm linear bone density were significantly lower in the high osteocalcin group, even though most of the other variables, including urinary hydroxyproline excretion, serum alkaline phosphatase, age, height, and weight, were not different. Osteoporotic women had a mean serum osteocalcin concentration of 17.4 ± 8.6 ng/ml and a TBCa of 657 ± 83 g, both significantly different from the respective values in normal and pre- and postmenopausal women (P < 0.001 for both variables in comparison to each group). These data suggest that high serum osteocalcin levels, at least on a group basis, are an index of low skeletal mass.

^* This work was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy under Contract DE-ACO2-76CH00016 and USHHS Grants AG-00376 and AM-35407. Accordingly, the U.S. Government retains a nonexclusive, royalty-free license to publish or reproduce the published form of this contribution or allow others to do so for U.S. Government purposes.

Received May 19, 1986.

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