Abdominal adiposity and low physical activity are independently and inversely associated with bone mineral density
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Updated: Oct 5, 2026

Scanning Skeletal Remains for Bone Mineral Density in Forensic Contexts
Published on: January 29, 2018
Chandramouli Krishnan1, Palak Choksi2, Mark D Peterson1
1University of Michigan, Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, United States.
Background And Methods:
Obesity is a highly heterogeneous condition, and the link between adiposity distribution profiles and skeletal health is not well understood. This study examined the association between adiposity and bone mineral density (BMD) in a large cohort (5268 individuals) of US adults aged 20-85 years.
Results:
Body mass index (BMI) and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity were positively associated with BMD. Conversely, abdominal adiposity was negatively associated with BMD, even after adjusting for age, race, BMI, and objectively-measured physical activity.
Conclusions:
These findings highlight the negative influence of abdominal adiposity on BMD and contradict the notion that excess fat mass is protective for bone health.
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