Relationship of menopause to skeletal and muscle mass.

Cross-sectional and longitudinal changes in body composition with age were examined in white women to determine the relationship of body cell mass to menopause and of body fat to bone mass. There was statistical evidence for a curvilinear component to loss of total body potassium with negligible rates of loss before menopause. Longitudinal measurements also indicated a relationship between the proximity to menopause and the rate of loss of potassium. Total body potassium was significantly related to total body calcium and bone density of the spine, radius, and femoral neck. Total body fat was not related to any of these measurements. We found no evidence that adiposity plays a major role in protecting against bone loss.