# EPIDEMIOLOGY OF HORMONES AND OSTEOPOROSIS

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · 1989 · $172,969

## Abstract

This application is for continuation of our studies on the direct
association of endogenous estrogen and androgen levels to bone.
Our first studies examined the relationship of endogenous sex
steroid hormone concentrations to appendicular cortical bone,
specifically the dominant radius, in 174 normal postmenopausal
woman, mean age 58 years.  All of the woman were participants
in a clinical trial designed to determine the effects of walking on
postmenopausal bone loss.  There was little relationship between
androgen hormones, testosterone and androstenedione to cortical
bone.  Estrone concentrations, the primary postmenopausal
estrogen were, however, significant predictors of cortical bone in
these women.  Our previous analyses had suggested that milk
consumption during childhood and adolescence was related to bone
density postmenopausally.  We, therefore, combined both
determinants of peak skeletal mass, namely early milk
consumption, and determinants of bone density, namely density
postmenopausally.  In a subsequent study in 100 perimenopausal
women we again demonstrated that early age calcium intake is
directly related to bone density using dual photon absorptiometry.
In a small sample of older postmenopausal women we have found
that black women had greater bone density than white women.  In
the current proposal, we would like to extend these observations
(1) to women in the immediate postmenopausal period; (2) to
elderly women in the late postmenopausal period and (3) to black
postmenopausal period.

In addition, we propose to study not only the relationships to
cortical bone, but also to trabecular bone.  These studies as in the
previous grant will make use of existing data bases for most of
the information and represents an efficient way to substantially
expand our understanding of the relationship of endogenous sex
steroid concentrations and calcium intake to bone density.  The
sex steroids of interest include estrone, estrone sulfate, estradiol,
testosterone, and androstenedione.  We will test the hypothesis
that both cortical and trabecular bone are primarily determined
by dietary intake of calcium during periods of increasing and
stable bone mass and the levels of endogenous estrogens in the
blood.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 3157390
- **Project number:** 5R01AR035858-04
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH
- **SAM.gov UEI:** MKAGLD59JRL1
- **Principal Investigator:** LEWIS H KULLER
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1989
- **Award amount:** $172,969
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1986-08-01 → 1992-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/3157390

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 3157390, EPIDEMIOLOGY OF HORMONES AND OSTEOPOROSIS (5R01AR035858-04). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-24 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/3157390. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*