Potential for osteoporosis in selected dancers

Eating attitudes, serum estradiol concentration, and bone mineral density were determined for 24 contemporary college dancers and 32 nonexercising control subjects. All subjects were nonsmoking, white females, not currently taking prescribed medication and had no prior eating disorders. Data were collected using the following: a bone scan, a seven milliliter blood sample, the Eating Disorder Inventory, the Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis machine, an activity level/menstrual status questionnaire, a three day diet record, and a demographic data form. The subjects were similar in age, age at menarche, and menstrual periods per year. The major differences between the groups were that the dancers were taller, leaner, and weighed less than the controls. There was no significant difference in serum estradiol concentration between the groups. Bone mineral density scores were similar for the dancers and controls at two radial sites. No significant difference was found between the groups on seven of eight subscales of the Eating Disorder Index. A significant difference (p .01) was found between the dancers and controls on the Interpersonal Distrust subscale. A negative correlation (r =.321, p =.04) was found between serum estradiol concentration and the radial 1/10th site. No correlation was found between serum estradiol concentration and the radial 1/3 site.