Female skeletal health and socioeconomic status in medieval Norway (11th–16th centuries AD): Analysis of bone mineral density and stature

Abstract

Little is known about the possible impact of socioeconomic status on bone health in medieval Norway. We measured bone mineral density in the skeletal remains of 101 females from five medieval burial sites in Eastern Norway representing distinct socioeconomic groups by comparing results from dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and osteological analysis. Young adult females of high status were taller than parish population females (5.3 cm, p = 0.01), although their femoral neck bone mineral density did not differ significantly between the two groups (p = 0.127). We found that the parish population females had a significantly higher occurrence of osteopenia and osteoporosis in old adulthood (p = 0.003), with an estimated disease risk of 0.53 versus 0.16 in the high-status group, possibly related to a lower attained maximum bone mineral density. We discuss environmental and genetic factors in light of relevant research literature on life in medieval Norway and offer an explanation for the significant taller stature among high-status females and the higher risk for osteopenia/osteoporosis in the parish population. This work adds to our knowledge of young adult bone mineral density and bone loss in relation to socioeconomic status in a medieval female population of Norway.