DOC News July 1, 2007
Volume 4 Number 7 p. 18
© 2007 American Diabetes Association
Weight Loss May Benefit Bone Density
Contrary to common thought, overweight and obesity do not have a beneficial
effect on bone mass, according to research recently published in the
Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. Epidemiological
studies have suggested that high body weight or body mass index (BMI) is
linked to high bone mass, and that reducing weight may cause bone loss.
A study based on a sampling of people in the U.S. and the People's Republic
of China suggests that the opposite is true. Researchers contend that previous
studies were confounded by bias or flawed reasoning. Calculations involving
weight or BMI fail to take the mechanical loading effect of body weight into
account, they argue. The important variable, according to the group, is the
percentage of body fat.
Investigators took detailed measurements of 1,988 unrelated Chinese
participants and 4,489 Caucasians from the American Midwest. The measurements
include whole body fat mass, lean mass, percentage body mass, BMI, and bone
mass.
When researchers adjusted bone mass results to remove the mechanical
loading effects of body weight, they found an inverse relationship between fat
mass and bone density. The researchers linked an increasing percentage of fat
mass with diminishing bone density. Losing weight is likely to tilt the
equation in the other direction, contributing to greater bone density, the
researchers conclude.
Zhao L-J, Liu Y-L, Liu P-Y, et al.: Relationship of obesity
with osteoporosis. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 92: 1640-1646, 2007.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
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