BMD of the lumbar spine (LS-BMD) and femoral neck (FN-BMD) was measured in all cohorts using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry following standard manufacturer protocols (Supplementary Tables 18B, 19B and 20B). Three clinically-distinct fracture definitions were used: 1) Any type, consisting of low-trauma fractures at any skeletal site (except fingers, toes and skull) occurring after age 18 years assessed by X-ray, radiographic report, clinical record, clinical interview and/or questionnaire; 2) Validated non-vertebral, consisting of fractures occurring after age 50 years with diagnosis confirmed by hospital records and/or radiographs; and 3) Radiographic vertebral fractures, from lateral morphometry scored on X-rays. The first is most-inclusive, while the latter two are more stringent fracture definitions commonly used in randomized trials.35,36 Controls were defined as individuals without a history of fracture using for each fracture type the same age limit categories of the cases.
