Study Links Bone Density to Faster Brain Aging

Johns Hopkins researchers analyzed chest CT scans from 715 MESA participants and found that lower spinal bone mineral density was associated with faster cognitive decline and white matter changes in the brain. The findings were published in Radiology.

• Analysis covered 715 participants with CT, brain MRI and cognitive tests
• Lower bone density linked to more white matter hyperintensities in the corpus callosum
• Researchers attribute the link to shared metabolic drivers, not causation
• Chest CT could provide bone density data without a separate scan