Belly Fat Linked to Women’s Osteoporosis Risk Study Shows Fat
Around the Waistline May Be Harmful to Bone Health Nov. 30, 2010
(Chicago) -- Belly fat may be bad for women's bone health,
raising their risk of osteoporosis, researchers report. In a
study of 50 premenopausal women, many of whom were obese, those
who had more fat around the waistline were more likely to have
low bone mineral density, an osteoporosis risk factor. "We found
that in young women, deep belly fat is bad for the bones,"
Miriam Bredella, MD, assistant professor of radiology at
Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, tells
WebMD. "We now know that abdominal obesity needs to be included
as a risk factor for osteoporosis and bone loss." Bredella
presented her findings here at the annual meeting of the
Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). Not All Fat Is the
Same Previous research has suggested that excess body fat
protects against bone loss and osteoporosis. But not all fat is
the same, Bredella says. Using MRI and CT