Key clinical point: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is associated with an increased risk for low bone mineral density (BMD) in women examined by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) for suspected osteoporosis.

Major finding: MetS was associated with an increased risk for low BMD (odds ratio [OR], 1.19; P = .001). Among MetS components, hypertension significantly correlated with an increased risk for low BMD (OR, 1.23; P = .002), whereas high fasting glucose level/diabetes correlated with a reduced occurrence of low BMD (OR, 0.84; P = .003).

Study details: The data come from a cross-sectional study of 13,182 free-living Caucasian women in Italy (mean age, 62.8 years) who underwent diagnostic assessment of BMD by DXA and of all MetS constitutive elements.

Disclosures: This study received no external funding. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.