Because of the importance of nutrition in the development of bone mass, we studied the nutritional state, and bone state by means of metacarpal radiogrammetric measurements and vertebral morphometry in a group of 40 premenopausal women born between 1960 and 1970, mean age 29 +/- 5 years, and in another group of 40 postmenopausal women born between 1934 and 1944, mean age 55 +/- 4 years. Both groups were considered normal, the main characteristic distinguishing them being that the women born between 1934 and 1944 grew up in a period of widespread malnutrition in Spain and the women born between 1960 and 1970 grew up in a period of normal nutrition. Protein, carbohydrate and fat intake in these two periods differed significantly (p < 0.0001 in the three cases by Fischer's exact test). The values of the metacarpal measurements, anterior height of the dorsal vertebrae from T-4 to T-12, and posterior height from L-1 to L-4 between the premenopausal and postmenopausal groups of women were significantly different (p < 0.001) (Anova test). These findings show the importance of nutrition in the development of bone mass during childhood.