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. 2018 Jun;42(6):1185-1194.
doi: 10.1038/s41366-018-0134-x. Epub 2018 Jun 11.

Effect of cardiometabolic risk factors on the relationship between adiposity and bone mass in girls

Megan Hetherington-Rauth  1 , Jennifer W Bea  2   3   4 , Robert M Blew  2 , Janet L Funk  2   3 , Vinson R Lee  2 , Tiffany C Varadi  2 , Denise J Roe  4   5 , Mark D Wheeler  6 , Scott B Going  2
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Effect of cardiometabolic risk factors on the relationship between adiposity and bone mass in girls

Megan Hetherington-Rauth et al. Int J Obes (Lond). 2018 Jun.

Abstract

Background/objective: Childhood obesity has been separately associated with cardiometabolic risk factors (CMRs) and increased risk of fracture. However, both augmented and compromised bone mass have been reported among overweight/obese children. Metabolic dysfunction, often co-existing with obesity, may explain the discrepancy in previous studies. The aim of this study was to examine whether the relationship between adiposity and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) derived bone mass differed in young girls with and without CMR(s).

Subjects/methods: Whole-body bone and body composition measures by DXA and measures of CMR (fasting glucose, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), triglyceride (TG), systolic and diastolic blood pressure, waist circumference (WC)) were obtained from 307, 9- to 12-year-old girls. Girls with 1 or ≥ 2 CMR(s) were considered to be at risk (vs. no CMR). Multiple linear regression was used to test the relationship of total fat mass with total body bone mineral content (BMC) after controlling for height, lean mass, CMR risk, and other potential confounders.

Results: There was a significant interaction between CMR risk and total body fat mass. When girls were stratified by CMR group, all groups had a significant positive relationship between fat mass and BMC (p < 0.05), however, girls with ≥ 2 CMRs had a lower BMC for a given level of body fat. Total body fat was not significantly related to bone mineral density (p > 0.05).

Conclusion: Fat mass has a positive relationship with BMC even after controlling for lean mass. However, the positive relationship of fat mass with BMC may be attenuated if multiple CMRs are present.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure Statement: No conflicts of interest, financial or otherwise, are declared by the author(s). The authors have stated that they have no conflict of interest.

Conflicts of Interest

No conflicts of interest, financial or otherwise, are declared by the author(s).

The authors have stated that they have no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Prevalence of risk factors by cardiometabolic risk (CMR) group aspecific for age and sex bspecific for age, sex, and height
Figure 2
Figure 2
Relationship of DXA total body BMC with total body fat mass for girls with 0, 1, or ≥ 2 cardiometabolic risk factors (CMRs) adjusted for height (cm), maturity offset (yrs), lean mass (kg), and ethnicity (Hispanic vs. non-Hispanic).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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