Statins are able to reduce cardiovascular morbidity and mortality mainly through their hypocholesterolemic effect. Beyond the inhibition of cholesterol synthesis, the identification of pleiotropic mechanisms has motivated many studies to evaluate the effects of statin use on bone mineral density (BMD) modification.The aim of our study was to evaluate whether simvastatin treatment (20 mg/d) could modify BMD in hypercholesterolemic women (n=28) after one-year treatment as compared with a control group treated only with a diet (n=11). The exclusion criteria was current or previous therapy with statins, bisphosphonates and/or estrogens. The following parameters were determined at the beginning and after one year, and those are: total cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL-C and LDL-C (Friedewald equation). The BMD was measured at the lumbar spine by dual energy x-ray absorpiometry (DEXA).In the simvastatin treated group, BMD showed an insignificant 2,812% increase after 12 months, respectively (0,965+0,111 v 0,992+0,110, P>0,05). The group treated only with hypolipidic diet demonstrated a 3,45% decrease in BMD (respectively, 1,042+0,181 v 1.006+0,182; P>0,05) after 12 months. Nevertheless, the comparison of average BMD changes between the two examined groups during one year showed a significant value diference (-0,027+0,037 v 0,036+0,036; P<0,0006).As partly suggested by retrospective or observational data, this longitudinal study indicates that simvastatin treatment achieves a beneficial effect on BMD
