Background: Several studies have found positive associations between greater bone mineral density (BMD) and increased consumption of various dietary factors including potassium, magnesium and fruit and vegetables. However, due to the complexity of the foods and nutrients we eat and the inter-correlations between them, it is also important to assess the diet as a whole. Dietary patterns enable the assessment of the overall diet and may provide additional answers to the analysis of individual foods and nutrients.

Setting: The project will take advantage of the unique and extensive longitudinal data collected by ALSPAC. Detailed information on the ALSPAC study is available on the web site: http://www.alspac.bris.ac.uk

Data: Bone density has been collected via DXA scan at 9, 11, 13, 15 and 17 years of age. In addition. pQCT scans which assess volumetric density have been performed at 15 and 17. Three-day diet diaries were collected at 7, 10 and 13 years of age.

Aims: The main focus of this research will be to investigate the different methods of obtaining dietary patterns, focussing on Principal Components Analysis, Cluster Analysis and Reduced Rank Regression in determining optimum bone development in the ALSPAC cohort. In addition the performance of each method in predicting bone density will be tested.

Fat mass and physical activity have been shown to affect skeletal development in childhood; this project will further examine whether any effects of dietary patterns on bone development are mediated by altered body composition and activity levels.