In 120 patients with postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMOP) with a bone mass density (BMD) lower than 80 %, indicators of bone metabolism were followed up – urinary pyridinoline (UPD) and deoxypyridinoline (USPD), serum bone alkaline phosphatase (OAP) and serum osteocalcin (OC). The patients were divided by random sampling into two groups: one group was given calcium gluconate (CG) (500 mg/day) and the second one collagen peptide (CP) (10 g/day), both by the oral route. The patients were followed up by clinical and laboratory methods every 6 months. Indicators of bone metabolismwere evaluated at the beginning and at the end of the three-year period. During these three years, six patients who took CP and 22 patients who took CG dropped out. In patients who took CP after three years reduced excretion ofUPDwas observed at the borderline of statistical significance (from 56.19 to 41.88 nmol/mmol creatinine). The reduction of UPD excretion was recorded in particular in „fast losers“ (UPD > 80 nmol/mmol creatinine). Conversely, CP administration had an impact on a rise of OAP from 15.56 to 21.65 U/L (significant at the 1% level). Osteoblastic activity measured by OAP was stimulated in particular in „slow losers“ (from 15.14 to 20.14 U/L). The values in the group treated with CG did not reach statistical signifikance.

        Key words: postmenopausal osteoporosis, urinary pyridinoline, urinary deoxypyridinoline, serum osteocalcin, serum bone alkaline phosphatase, collagen peptides