• Relationship between dietary insulin index and postmenopausal osteoporosis among Iranian women: a case-control study.
  • Samira Movahed,1 Shakiba Solgi,2 Farid zayeri,3 Mohammad Mahdi Hajinasab,4 Mahsa Aghaei,5 Behnood Abbasi,6,*
    1. Department of Nutrition, Electronic Health and Statistics Surveillance Research Center, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
    2. Department of Nutrition, Electronic Health and Statistics Surveillance Research Center, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
    3. Proteomics Research Center, Department of Biostatistics, School of Allied Medical Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
    4. Department of Nutrition, Electronic Health and Statistics Surveillance Research Center, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
    5. Department of Nutrition, Electronic Health and Statistics Surveillance Research Center, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
    6. Department of Nutrition, Electronic Health and Statistics Surveillance Research Center, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran


  • Introduction: The association between the dietary insulin index (DII) and the risk of postmenopausal osteoporosis among Iranian women remains unclear, despite the established link between hyperinsulinemia and the development of osteoporosis. The DII is determined by the insulin response elicited by various dietary patterns. This study aimed to explore the relationship between adherence to a diet with a high insulinemic potential and the incidence of osteoporosis in postmenopausal Iranian women.
  • Methods: A total of 380 postmenopausal participants were recruited for this case-control study. To assess daily caloric intake, a validated 168-item food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) was utilized. The dietary insulin load for each food item was calculated using a standard formula, and the DII was subsequently derived by dividing the dietary insulin load by the total energy intake for each participant. Logistic regression analysis was employed to examine the association between osteoporosis and DII.
  • Results: The findings revealed a significant inverse correlation between osteoporosis and DII, even after adjusting for potential confounding factors (OR=0.927; 95% CI=0.888–0.967). The mean DII scores were significantly higher in the control group (36.82±8.98) compared to the case group (33.53±6.28) (P<0.001).
  • Conclusion: These results indicate that a diet characterized by a high insulin index and low in insulinogenic foods may enhance bone mass density. Therefore, it may be crucial for postmenopausal women to include nutrients that promote insulin production in their diets to mitigate the risk of osteoporosis.
  • Keywords: Osteoporosis, Hyperinsulinism, Insulin resistance, Postmenopausal women