• This is the first study on Indian women to report on the association of SNPs in OPG and RANKL genes with Bone Mineral Density (BMD) • SNPs rs2073618 and rs3102735 in OPG gene may influence BMD at spine in Indian women. • SNPs rs9533155 and rs9533156 in RANKL gene are not associated with BMD. Osteoprotegerin (OPG) and receptor activator of the NF-kB ligand (RANKL) are key players in bone remodelling. Reports show that OPG and RANKL gene polymorphisms are associated with osteoporosis and fracture risk. The aim of this study was to examine the influence of 5 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in OPG and RANKL gene on bone mineral density (BMD) in Indian women. The study included 374 healthy Indian women. Kompetitive Allele Specific PCR (KASP) was used for genotyping. There was a significant difference in the BMD at spine between genotypes of OPG rs2073618 (CC: 0.988 ± 0.167 CG: 1.023 ± 0.17 GG: 1.053 ± 0.155; p = 0.039) which was lost upon adjustment for age and BMI (p = 0.087). Multiple linear regression revealed that genotypes of OPG rs2073618 (β = 0.098; p = 0.027) and rs3102735 (β = 0.092; p = 0.038) are predictors of BMD at spine in Indian women. We did not observe any association of SNPs in RANKL gene with BMD. Thus, SNPs rs2073618 and rs3102735 in OPG gene may influence BMD at spine in Indian women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]