Osteoporosis, a major health problem in Vietnam : life style factors and determinants of bone mass

While the prevalence of osteoporosis and risk factors for low bone mineral density (BMD) has been well documented in Caucasian populations, there is a lack of data from Asia. This work was designed to clarify to what extent osteoporosis could be regarded as a major public health problem in Vietnam. Furthermore, to elucidate the prevalence of certain risk factors, such as vitamin D deficiency and other determinants of bone mass as a basis to indentify high-risk individuals among the Vietnamese women and men.

The clinical studies were designed as cross-sectional investigations using a multistage sampling scheme. Within the setting of northern Vietnam (latitude 21°N), districts were selected to represent urban and rural areas. In total 612 healthy women and 222 men aged 13-83 years were investigated. BMD was measured at the lumbar spine, femoral neck and total hip in all qualified subjects with dual energy X-ray absortiometry. Serum concentrations of 25(OH)D, parathyroid hormone, estrogen and testosterone were quantified by electrochemiluminescence immunoassay. Data on clinical history and lifestyle were collected by individual face-to-face interviews.

Reference values for peak BMD were defined. These data allowed the calculation of T-scores and thus for the first time, an accurate identification of osteoporosis in a Vietnamese population. As determined at the femoral neck, the prevalence of osteoporosis was 17-23% in women and 9% in men. The results clearly suggest that osteoporosis is an important public health problem. Postmenopausal women living in urban areas experienced osteoporosis more than rural residents. Serum levels of 25(OH)D and estrogen were significantly associated with bone mass in both women and men. The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency (<20 ng/mL) was very high, 30% in women and 16% in men.

An experimental study on the isoflavone content of different soymilk preparations was performed by HPLC (high pressure liquid chromatography). Values of isoflavones were very low, around 60-80 mg/L, and there were only 10-20% of bioactive aglycones. This is far below the reported threshold levels to exert significant effects on bone.

In the future these data will be useful as a valuable reference base to diagnose osteoporosis and for the clinical management of its consequences. The high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency should raise the awareness of potentially important health issues such as osteoporosis but also about other serious diseases within the Vietnamese society.

List of scientific papers

I. H.T.T. Nguyen, B. von Schoultz, D.M.T. Pham, D.B. Nguyen, Q.H. Le, D.V. Nguyen, A.L. Hirschberg, T.V. Nguyen. Peak bone mineral density in Vietnamese women. Arch Osteoporos. 2009, 4(1-2):9-15.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11657-009-0021-0

II. Huong TT. Nguyen, Bo von Schoultz, Tuan V. Nguyen, Dang N. Dzung, Pham TM. Duc, Vu T. Thuy, Angelica L. Hirschberg. Vitamin D deficiency in northern Vietnam: prevalence, risk factors and associations with bone mineral density. [Submitted]

III. Huong TT. Nguyen, Bo von Schoultz, Tuan V. Nguyen, Trinh X. Thang, Tran T. Chau, Pham TM. Duc, Angelica L. Hirschberg. Sex hormone levels as determinants of bone mineral density and osteoporosis in Vietnamese women and men. [Manuscript]

IV. Huong TT. Nguyen, Mo Pourian, Birgitta Byström, Ingrid Dahlin, Pham TM. Duc, Tuan V. Nguyen, Bo von Schoultz, Angelica L. Hirschberg. Low aglycone content in commercial soy drink products. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2012, 21 (1):52-56.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22374560