Bone
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Sex steroids are important for growth and maintenance of the skeleton. Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) is an estrogen degrading enzyme. The COMT val158met polymorphism results in a 60-75% difference in enzyme activity between the val (high activity=H) and met (low activity=L) variants. We have previously reported that this polymorphism is associated with bone mineral density (BMD) in young men. The aim of this study was to investigate associations between COMT val158met, BMD and fractures in elderly men. ⋯ The COMT val158met polymorphism is associated with life time fracture prevalence in elderly Swedish men. This association is mainly driven by early fractures (