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Excess body fat negatively affects bone mass in adolescents
Luciana Nunes Mosca1, Tamara Beres Lederer Goldberg1, Valéria Nóbrega da Silva1
1Department of Pediatrics, Adolescent Medicine Course, Graduate Program in Gynecology, Obstetrics, and Mastology, Botucatu School of Medicine, São Paulo State University, UNESP, Brazil.
Nutrition (Burbank, Los Angeles County, Calif.)
|July 3, 2014
Summary
Excess body fat negatively impacts bone mass in adolescents. Higher body fat percentage correlates with lower bone mineral density and content, particularly in females.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Endocrinology
- Bone Metabolism
- Adolescent Health
Background:
- Adolescent obesity is a growing public health concern.
- Understanding the relationship between body composition and bone health is crucial during growth years.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine how excess body fat affects bone mass in overweight, obese, and extremely obese adolescents.
- To determine the correlation between body fat percentage and bone mineral density (BMD) and bone mineral content (BMC).
Main Methods:
- 377 adolescents (ages 10-19) were assessed for weight, height, BMI, bone age, BMC, and BMD using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry.
- Data were adjusted for chronological and bone age, with nutritional classifications compared using ANOVA and Tukey tests.
- Linear regression models analyzed variations in BMD and BMC in relation to BMI, lean mass, fat mass (FM), and body fat percentage (BF%).
Main Results:
- Bone age exceeded chronological age across all nutritional groups.
- While weight and BMI increased with obesity, BMD and BMC did not differ in males but were lower in extremely obese females compared to obese females.
- Significant positive correlations were found between BMD/BMC and BMI, lean mass, and FM; however, a negative correlation existed between BF% and BMD/BMC in both sexes.
Conclusions:
- Excess body fat, specifically higher body fat percentage, has a detrimental effect on bone mass in adolescents.
- Increased body fat percentage is associated with reduced bone mineral density and content, highlighting a potential risk for bone health in obese youth.
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