Association between the dietary index for gut microbiota and fracture prevalence among women aged 50 years and older: a NHANES-based study with a preliminary exploratory pilot analysis.
4 affiliations
- 1Department of Cervicodynia/Omalgia/Lumbago/Sciatica, Sichuan Province Orthopedic Hospital, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
- 2College of Health Preservation and Rehabilitation, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
- 3College of Pharmacy, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
- 4Department of Foot and Ankle Surgery, Sichuan Province Orthopedic Hospital, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
Abstract
Introduction
Gut microbiota has been implicated in bone metabolism, but whether a diet supporting gut microbial health is associated with fracture prevalence in older women remains unclear. This study aimed to examine the association between the dietary index for gut microbiota (DI-GM) and fracture prevalence in women aged 50 years and older.Methods
We analyzed cross-sectional data from five NHANES cycles, including 6,318 women aged 50 years and older (mean age 63.8 ± 9.6 years). DI-GM scores were derived from 24-h dietary recalls based on 13 dietary components. Self-reported hip, wrist, or spine fracture was the outcome (863 women, 13.7%). Bone mineral density (BMD) was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Weighted logistic regression and exploratory mediation analyses were performed.Results
Higher DI-GM scores were associated with lower odds of fragility fracture (OR = 0.93, 95% CI: 0.88-1.00, p = 0.035) and any fracture (Model 3: OR = 0.96, 95% CI: 0.92-0.99, p = 0.045). Neither femoral neck nor spinal BMD significantly mediated these associations. In a small exploratory pilot cohort (n = 12), DI-GM scores were positively correlated with spinal BMD (R = 0.82, p = 0.0011).Discussion
Higher DI-GM scores were associated with lower fracture prevalence in women aged 50 years and older, although BMD did not significantly mediate this association. Given the cross-sectional design and the small pilot sample, these findings should be considered exploratory and require confirmation in larger prospective studies.
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BibTeX
@article{wu2026association,
title = {{Association between the dietary index for gut microbiota and fracture prevalence among women aged 50 years and older: a NHANES-based study with a preliminary exploratory pilot analysis.}},
author = {Ji Wu and Yunping Liu and Zihao Huang and Xingming Ning and Tao Xu and Qiongxia Yu and Jing Guo and Luming Qi and Zhangmeng Xu},
journal = {Frontiers in public health},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fpubh.2026.1933908},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42903176},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Association between the dietary index for gut microbiota and fracture prevalence among women aged 50 years and older: a NHANES-based study with a preliminary exploratory pilot analysis.
AU - Ji Wu
AU - Yunping Liu
AU - Zihao Huang
AU - Xingming Ning
AU - Tao Xu
AU - Qiongxia Yu
AU - Jing Guo
AU - Luming Qi
AU - Zhangmeng Xu
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/06
JO - Frontiers in public health
DO - 10.3389/fpubh.2026.1933908
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42903176
AB - Introduction Gut microbiota has been implicated in bone metabolism, but whether a diet supporting gut microbial health is associated with fracture prevalence in older women remains unclear. This study aimed to examine the association between the dietary index for gut microbiota (DI-GM) and fracture prevalence in women aged 50 years and older.Methods We analyzed cross-sectional data from five NHANES cycles, including 6,318 women aged 50 years and older (mean age 63.8 ± 9.6 years). DI-GM scores were derived from 24-h dietary recalls based on 13 dietary components. Self-reported hip, wrist, or spine fracture was the outcome (863 women, 13.7%). Bone mineral density (BMD) was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Weighted logistic regression and exploratory mediation analyses were performed.Results Higher DI-GM scores were associated with lower odds of fragility fracture (OR = 0.93, 95% CI: 0.88-1.00, p = 0.035) and any fracture (Model 3: OR = 0.96, 95% CI: 0.92-0.99, p = 0.045). Neither femoral neck nor spinal BMD significantly mediated these associations. In a small exploratory pilot cohort (n = 12), DI-GM scores were positively correlated with spinal BMD (R = 0.82, p = 0.0011).Discussion Higher DI-GM scores were associated with lower fracture prevalence in women aged 50 years and older, although BMD did not significantly mediate this association. Given the cross-sectional design and the small pilot sample, these findings should be considered exploratory and require confirmation in larger prospective studies.
SN - 2296-2565
ER -