WEDNESDAY, Nov. 22, 2023 (HealthDay News) — The COVID-19 pandemic had a negative impact on bone health in young adults, according to a study published online Nov. 22 in the American Journal of Human Biology.

Darina Falbová, Ph.D., from Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia, and colleagues assessed 773 Slovak young adults aged 18 to 30 years to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and lifestyle factors on radius forearm bone and total bone mineral content.

The researchers found that compared with before the COVID-19 pandemic, during the pandemic, the speed of sound (SOS) was significantly lower along the length of the forearm radius bone, and Z-score values were also significantly lower. In the male group, significantly lower bone mineral content (BMC) values were seen during versus before the pandemic. The negative pandemic effect was confirmed by regression analysis for SOS, Z-score, and BMC (for men). In women, but not men, vitamin D was a significant predictor of SOS. Significant predictors of BMC in men included the pandemic, physical activity, and fat mass percentage.

“We indicate that the pandemic has negative impact on bone quality and health, and this should be further evaluated as an important symptom of long-COVID syndrome,” the authors write.

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