DXA-based appendicular composition measures in healthy aging Caucasian Greek women: a cross-sectional study

As the global population of older persons increases, age-related medical conditions will have a greater impact on public health. DXA-derived bone and soft tissue metrics are associated with adverse clinical events in aging persons. This study aims to investigate the regional body composition of the appendices by whole-body DXA scans, and the age-related relationships between measures of bone and soft tissue in healthy Caucasian females of a Greek origin residing in the Mediterranean area. Body composition of the legs and the arms was analyzed, and lean mass (LM) and fat mass (FM) metrics were calculated in 330 women aged 20–85 years, using DXA. Peak bone mineral density (BMD) of the legs and arms was achieved between ages 20–30 and 41–50 years, respectively. The overall BMD reduction with age was for the legs 43