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Updated: Sep 23, 2025
Scanning Skeletal Remains for Bone Mineral Density in Forensic Contexts
Published on: January 29, 2018
Association between obesity and bone mineral density in middle-aged adults
1Department of Orthopaedics, Tongde Hospital of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, 310012, Zhejiang, China. 13828462156@163.com.
Background:
The relationship between obesity and bone mineral density (BMD) varies in different studies. Our aim in this study was to explore the association between obesity (body mass index ≥ 30) and BMD among adults 40-59 years of age.
Methods:
This study was conducted on a sample of 2218 participants (986 men and 1232 women) aged 40 to 59 years from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2011-2018. The independent variable was body mass index (BMI). The outcome variable was lumbar BMD. The associations of BMI with lumbar BMD were examined using multivariable linear regression models.
Results:
BMI was positively associated with lumbar BMD after adjusting for other covariates [β 0.006; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.003-0.008]. An inverted U-shaped association between BMI and lumbar BMD was further identified, with the point of infection at approximately 50 kg/m2. In the subgroup analyses, the relationship between BMI and lumbar BMD in women and blacks was an inverted U-shape.
Conclusion:
Based on the results, it may be beneficial to appropriately increase BMI to promote BMD. However, considering the inverted U-shaped association, excessive BMI may be harmful to bone health in women and blacks.
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