Wichtig Editore - © 2013 SINPE-GASAPE - ISSN 1828-6232 Nutritional Therapy & Metabolism ( 2013; : 00) 000-000 00 1 INTRODUCTION Sarcopenia has been defined as the loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength that occurs with advancing age (1). The prevalence of sarcopenia (8% to 40% in people over 60 years of age) varies depending on the study sample (and especially the age of the sample), the definition, and the assessment tool used (2, 3). A loss of muscle mass has far- reaching effects beyond the obvious loss of strength and functionality. Muscle plays a key role in whole-body protein metabolism: protein storage, glucose regulation, hormone production and other cellular mechanisms (4). A growing body of evidence suggests an association between loss of muscle mass, physical disability (5-7) and functional limitation (6-8). Furthermore, sarcopenia and osteoporosis are directly related conditions (9-11), Association of sarcopenia with bone mass loss in elderly subjects Mariangela Rondanelli 1 , Davide Guido 2 , Annalisa Opizzi 1 , Milena Anna Faliva 1 , Simone Perna 1 , Mario Grassi 2 1 Department of Public Health, Experimental and Forensic Medicine, Endocrinology and Nutrition Unit, Azienda di Servizi alla Persona di Pavia, University of Pavia, Pavia - Italy 2 Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, Medical Statistics and Genomics Unit, University of Pavia, Pavia - Italy ABSTRACT Introduction: Aging is associated with decreases in muscle mass, strength, power (sarcopenia) and bone mineral density (BMD). The aim of this study was to investigate the role of sarcopenia in BMD loss in the elderly. Materials and Methods: Body composition and BMD were measured by dual-energy x-ray absorpti- ometry in 159 elderly subjects (52 men and 107 women; mean age 80.3 years). Muscle strength was determined with a dynamometer. Canonical correlation analysis examined the effect of sarcopenia on osteoporosis. Results: After adjustment for gender and age, sarcopenia and osteoporosis were found to be cor- related (canonical correlation ρ: +0.252, p=0.001). Conclusion: This study showed that sarcopenia was associated with BMD in a group of elderly people. KEY WORDS: Bone mineral density, Elderly, Relative skeletal muscle mass, Sarcopenia, Canonical correlation analysis Received: November 26, 2012; Accepted: February 12, 2013 SHORT COMMUNICATION considering that muscle contraction is the dominant source of skeletal loading that provides the mechanical stimulus to increase bone mass (12). In addition, the catabolic- inflammatory process underlying sarcopenia in chronic inflammatory diseases might also be associated with bone loss in the elderly (13). The decrease in bone mineral density (BMD) with increasing age can lead to a condition of osteopenia that in more extreme cases can turn into osteoporosis. Bone fractures are the most common complications of osteoporosis and are a significant cause of disability and premature death among older women and men (14). Especially the incidence of proximal femur fractures increases dramatically with advancing age and has become a worldwide problem that is relevant to public health from the clinical, economic and DOI: 10.5301/NTM.2013.11201