The Association Between Two Different Non-invasive Advanced Glycation End Products and Osteoporosis in the Non-diabetic Population: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are associated with osteoporosis (OP) in the diabetic population. However, their relationship with OP in the non-diabetic population remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate cross-sectional associations of AGEs levels in the skin and lens with OP in the non-diabetic population. A retrospective analysis of clinical data of 652 participants was conducted. Bone mineral density (BMD) was quantified by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Lens and skin AGEs were assessed by lens and skin autofluorescence (LAF and SAF). This study included 652 individuals, 280 males (42.9%) and 372 females (57.1%), with a mean age of (55.5 ± 6.9) years. The population with osteopenia exhibited significantly higher levels of SAF-AGEs than those with normal BMD, while the population with OP had significantly higher levels of both SAF- and LAF-AGEs. After adjusting for age and body mass index, LAF-AGEs were negatively correlated with BMD at the femoral neck and total hip. In contrast, SAF-AGEs were negatively correlated with BMD at the lumbar1-4 spine. Furthermore, multiple linear stepwise regression analysis demonstrated that LAF-AGEs were negatively associated with BMD at both the femoral neck and total hip. However, SAF-AGEs showed no association with BMD at any of the three measured sites. Additionally, after adjusting for other covariates, the logistic regression analysis emphasized that LAF-AGEs were associated with OP in the non-diabetic population, but SAF-AGEs do not. The results revealed a significant correlation between LAF-AGEs and OP in the non-diabetic population and their potential clinical utility warrants further validation. Therefore, we urge for larger longitudinal analyses and experimental research to validate and extend these cross-sectional findings.