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Visceral fat in obese adolescent girls linked to lower bone mineral density
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The results of a multicenter study indicate that obese adolescent girls with a greater ratio of visceral fat to subcutaneous fat are more likely to have a lower bone mineral density than girls with a lower ratio of visceral to subcutaneous fat.
The study is set to appear this month in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
“Visceral fat is known to increase the risk of diabetes and heart disease in obese people,” Madhusmita Misra, MD, the senior author of the study, stated in an Endocrine Society press release. “Our study suggests that visceral fat may also have an impact on bone health. This finding is particularly relevant given the rising prevalence of obesity and recent studies suggesting a higher risk of fractures in some obese individuals.”
Peer groups
The investigators studied 15 obese girls and 15 girls of normal weight who were between 12 and 18 years old. They analyzed the visceral fat tissue and subcutaneous adipose tissue of the participants using MRI and determined their total fat, and bone mineral density of the hip, spine and whole body using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). They also measured the height and weight of the participants.
The investigators found that the subcutaneous fat and visceral fat had reciprocal associations with bone density measurements with subcutaneous fat demonstrating positive associations and visceral fat demonstrating inverse associations, according to the press release.
Fat and bone health
However, Misra noted that a better understanding of the chemical mediators of the association between regional fat and bone health is needed.
“It is possible inflammatory cytokines, types of signaling molecules used in cellular communication, or hormones like adiponectin or leptin are potential mediators of these associations between fat and bone, but further studies are needed to determine their true impact on bone metabolism,” Misra stated in the release.
- References:
Russell M, Mendes N, Miller KK, et al. Visceral fat is a negative predictor of bone density measures in obese adolescent girls. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2010 Jan. 15. [Epub ahead of print].
www.endo-society.org
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