The association between glycemic index and glycemic load with postmenopausal osteoporosis: a case-control study

Osteoporosis is a chronic, debilitating condition in the world. Dietary carbohydrates and glycemic control might play an important role in bone health. This study aimed to investigate the association between glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (GL) with postmenopausal osteoporosis. This case-control study was conducted on 220 osteoporosis patients and 216 controls attending Shariati Hospital and private clinics in Tehran, Iran, from July 2022 to July 2024 according to our inclusion and exclusion criteria. Dietary intakes were assessed using a validated 147-item semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (SQ-FFQ), and GI and GL were calculated based on their formula. Participants in the third tertile of dietary GI were more frequently married, had higher weight and BMI, and lower physical activity compared to the first tertile. Individuals in the third tertile of dietary GL demonstrated higher weight and BMI than those in the first tertile. We found a significant association between dietary GI and osteoporosis (OR: 5.62; 95% CI: 3.4, 9.31; P trend < 0.001) in the crude model, and this association remained significant after adjusting for possible confounders (OR: 4.23; 95% CI: 2.45, 7.31; P trend < 0.001). There was no significant association between dietary GL and osteoporosis in the crude (OR: 1.33; 95% CI: 0.85, 2.15; P = 0.197) and adjusted models (OR: 0.67; 95% CI: 0.28, 1.57; P = 0.351). We found a significant association between dietary GI and osteoporosis, but no association was seen between dietary GL and osteoporosis in postmenopausal women.