Obesity may be bad for bone health

Obesity may be bad for bone health, revealed by researchers at the University of Georgia. Being overweight is a known risk factor for heart disease, diabetes and a host of other health conditions. Now, obesity and over-weight may also be bad for bone health.

The study published in the November issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Researchers conducted advanced three-dimensional bone scans on 115 women ages 18 and 19 with normal (less than 32 percent) and high (greater than 32 percent) body fat. After adjusting for differences in muscle mass surrounding the bone, the researchers found that the bones of participants with high body fat were 8 to 9 percent weaker than those of normal body fat participants.

"Obesity is an epidemic in this country, and I think this study is critical because it highlights another potential negative health effect that people haven't considered," said study co-author Richard D. Lewis, professor of foods and nutrition at the UGA College of Family and Consumer Sciences.

Previous studies on bone health and obesity used a two-dimensional bone densitometer that is commonly used in osteoporosis screenings. Lewis explained that a notable shortcoming of the bone densitometer is that it does not take into account bone shape and geometry, which have a substantial influence on bone strength. The new study used a three-dimensional imaging technique that measures both the amount of mineral in the bone and its shape and geometry. The study found that, surprisingly, normal- and high body-fat young adult females have comparable bone strength in a direct comparison that does not account for muscle mass.

"The fact that the two groups had similar bone strength measures is remarkable in itself, because you would expect it to be higher in the heavier person," Lewis said.

Doctoral candidate Norman Pollock, lead author of the study, explained that muscle exerts force on bones, which stimulates bone growth. Overweight people tend to have more muscle surrounding their bones than their leaner counterparts, leading most researchers to assume that being overweight is good for bone health.

"When we corrected for the amount of muscle, we found that the obese person is not making as much bone as they should be for the amount of muscle that they have," Pollock said. "People haven't observed that in the past because they weren't using the three-dimensional scan."

Lewis said the exact mechanisms by which excess fat hinders bone strength are unclear, but studies of obese rats show that they produce more fat cells in the bone marrow and fewer bone cells. Since fat and bone cells originate from the same precursor, it may be that fat cell production is favored over bone cell production in obese people.

The women the researchers studied were 18 and 19, an age at which the bones have stopped growing but before age-related degeneration begins. Lewis said future studies using three-dimensional bone imaging should follow children with normal and high levels of body fat through time to see how their skeletons grow. Other researchers have documented increased fractures in overweight children, suggesting that childhood obesity may be particularly detrimental to bone health.

"When you're young you have the capacity to change the shape of your bones, but when you get older you don't have that capacity." Lewis said. "And because of that, childhood obesity could have a significant, long lasting negative impact on the skeleton."



(Editor compiled and published Obesity may be bad for bone health at HealthNewsTrack on November 27, 2007 sourced from University of Georgia - http://www.uga.edu/news/artman/publish/071126_Study.shtml)

Obesity - recent articles and current news stories:

- Less sleep means higher risk of diabetes and obesity
- Obesity epidemic in United States underestimated
- 10% weight loss in obesity with green coffee beans extract
- Eating chocolate frequently appears related to lower BMI
- Evaluating impact of EHR on childhood obesity

Most related articles:

- Obesity may be bad for bone health
- Merck's Odanacatib increases bone mineral density - 4.5
- Fat mass helps build bone mass in girls - 4.2
- Bone density related to bone erosion in rheumatoid arthritis patients - 4
- Osteoporosis drugs increase bone necrosis risk - 4

More related articles:

- Obesity, Overweight, Heart disease, Diabetes, Nutrition, Body fat, Osteoporosis, Childhood obesity
- Obesity threshold lowered for Indians - 11.9
- Poor coordination in childhood linked to obesity in later life - 9.7
- $2.2 million grant to study childhood obesity - 9.3
- Early childhood diet may have an influence on adult obesity, diabetes - 9.3

Obesity related articles:

- Taranabant for obesity discontinued by Merck - 3.3
- Obesity increased in USA, obesity policies are failing - 2.7
- Obesity epidemic taking root in Africa - 2.6
- Poor coordination in childhood linked to obesity in later life - 2.5
- Race and short sleep increase obesity risk - 2.5

Obesity article/news source:

Read more health articles from University of Georgia and health articles from Georgia.

Obesity - search related terms:

Body fat, Childhood obesity, Diabetes, Heart disease, Nutrition, Obesity, Osteoporosis, Overweight,
Obesity books,

Searched keywords: effect of obesity on bone health (7), childhood obesity (6),

List health news, Health organizations, Health news world, Glossary, Best health articles, Featured     Go to top

The information provided on Health Newstrack is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between a patient/site visitor and his/her physician. We comply with the HONcode principles for trustworthy health information, and Health News Track is hon code accredited, verify here.
About us, Site map Privacy policy, Disclaimer
© 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 HealthNewsTrack.com
3.04