Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Paper
  • Published:

Overweight and obese children have low bone mass and area for their weight

International Journal of Obesity volume 24, pages 627–632 (2000)Cite this article

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether girls and boys categorized from body mass index (BMI) values as overweight or obese for their age have lower bone mineral content (BMC) or lower bone area in relation to total body weight than children of normal adiposity.

DESIGN: Cross-sectional study in a university bone research unit.

SUBJECTS: Two hundred girls and 136 boys aged 3–19 y recruited from the general population by advertisement.

MEASUREMENTS: Total body BMC (g) and bone area (cm2) measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) in relation to body weight (kg), lean tissue mass (kg) and fat mass (kg) in boys and girls of three different BMI percentile groupings: normal weight (BMI<85th percentile); overweight (85 to 94th BMI percentile); obese (≥95th BMI percentile).

RESULTS: Obese children had higher BMC, bone area, and fat mass for chronological age than those of normal body weight (P<0.001). In spite of this the observed values for age-adjusted total body BMC and bone area relative to body weight were each lower than predicted values, in both overweight and obese children (2.5–10.1% less, P<0.05) than in children of lower adiposity.

CONCLUSION: In overweight and obese boys and girls there is a mismatch between body weight and bone development during growth: their bone mass and bone area are low for their body weight.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Prentice A, Jebb S . Obesity in Britain: gluttony or sloth? Br Med J 1995 311: 437–439.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Gortmaker S, Must A, Sobol A, Peterson K, Colditz G, Dietz W . Television viewing as a cause of increasing obesity among children in the US, 1986–90 Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 1996 150: 356–362.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Rossner S . Childhood obesity and adulthood consequences Acta Paediatrica 1998 87: 1–5.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Slemenda CW, Miller JZ, Hui SL, Reister TK, Johnston CC . Role of physical activity in the development of skeletal mass in children J Bone Min Res 1991 11 (6): 1227–1233.

    Google Scholar 

  5. Frost H . Obesity, and bone strength and ‘mass’: a tutorial based on insights from a new paradigm Bone 1997 21:: 211–214.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Klein KO, Larmore KA, de Lancey E, Brown JM, Considine RV, Hassink SG . Effect of obesity on estradiol level, and its relationship to leptin, bone maturation, and bone mineral density in children J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1998 83 (10): 3469–3475.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Goulding A, Cannan R, Williams S, Gold E, Taylor R, Lewis-Barned N . Bone mineral density in girls with forearm fractures J Bone Min Res 1998 13: 143–148.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Goulding A, Taylor R, Jones I, McAuley K, Manning P . Fractures: are overweight children at increased risk? Conference Proc NZ Dietetic Assoc 1998 3: 68–70.

    Google Scholar 

  9. Zamboni G, Soffiati M, Giavarina D, Tato L . Mineral metabolism in obese children Acta Paediat Scandinav 1988 77: 741–746.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. McCormick DP, Ponder SW, Fawcett D, Palmer JL . Spinal bone mineral density in 335 normal and obese children and adolescents: evidence for ethnic and sex differences J Bone Min Res 1991 6:: 507–513.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. De Schepper J, Van den Broeck M, Jonckheer MH . Study of lumbar spine bone mineral density in obese children Acta Paediatr 1995 84: 313–315.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Loder R, Aronson D, Greenfield M . The epidemiology of bilateral slipped capital femoral epiphysis J Bone Joint Surg 1993 75A: 1141–1147.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Davids J, Huskamp M, Bagley A . A dynamic biomechanical analysis of the etiology of adolescent tibia vara J Pediat Orthop 1996 16: 461–468.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Must A, Dallal G, Dietz W . Reference data for obesity: 85th and 95th percentiles of body mass index (Wt/ht2)—a correction Am J Clin Nutr 1991 54: 773.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Draper N, Smith H . Applied regression analysis, Second edition Wiley: New York 1981.

    Google Scholar 

  16. Tanner JM, Whitehouse RH . Clinical longitudinal standards for height, weight, height velocity, weight velocity, and stages of puberty Arch Dis Child 1976 51: 170–179.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Svendsen O, Haarbo J, Christiansen C . Accuracy of measurements of body composition by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry in vivo Am J Clin Nutr 1993 57: 605–608.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Jensen L, Quaade F, Sorensen O . Bone loss accompanying voluntary weight loss in obese humans J Bone Min Res 1994 9: 459–463.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Van Loan M, Johnson H, Barbieri T . Effect of weight loss on bone mineral content and bone mineral density in obese women Am J Clin Nutr 1998 67: 734–738.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Pritchard J, Nowson C, Wark J . Bone loss accompanying diet-induced or exercise-induced weight loss: a randomised controlled study Int J Obes 1996 20: 513–520.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. De Simone M, Farello G, Palumbo M, Gentile T, Ciuffreda M, Olioso P, Cinque M, De Matheis F . Growth charts, growth velocity and bone development in childhood obesity Int J Obes 1995 19: 851–857.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Southern M, Loftin M, Suskind R, Udall J, Wilson J, Hensel L, Hargis J, Blecker U . The impact of mild, moderate and severe obesity on upper and lower bone mineral content, lean and fat body mass Int J Obes 1998 22 (Suppl 3): P383.

    Google Scholar 

  23. Reid I, Plank L, Evans M . Fat mass is an important determinant of whole body bone density in premenopausal women but not in men J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1992 75: 779–782.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Cicuttini F, Spector T . Obesity, arthritis, and gout Handbook of Obesity Marcel Dekker: New York 1998, pp 741–752.

    Google Scholar 

  25. Goulding A, Gold E, Cannan R, Taylor R, Williams S, Lewis-Barned N . DEXA supports the use of BMI as a measure of fatness in young girls Int J Obes 1996 20: 1014–1021.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Pietrobelli A, Faith M, Allison D, Gallagher D, Chiumello G, Heymsfield S . Body mass index as a measure of adiposity among children and adolescents: A validation study J Ped 1998 132: 204–210.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Troiano R, Flegal K, Kuczmarski R, Campbell S, Johnson C . Overweight prevalence and trends for children and adolescents Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 1995 149: 1085–1091.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Dietz W . How to tackle the problem early? The role of education in the prevention of obesity Int J Obes 1999 23 (Suppl 4): S7–S9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Morris F, Naughton G, Gibbs J, Carlson J, Wark J . Prospective ten-month exercise intervention in premenarcheal girls: positive effect on bone and lean mass J Bone Min Res 1997 12: 1453–1462.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Rizzoli R, Bonjour J-P . Hormones and bones Lancet 1997 349 (Suppl 1): 20–23.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Ferretti J, Capozza R, Cointry G, Garcia S, Plotkin H, Alvarez Filgueira M, Zanchetta J . Gender-related differences in the relationship between densitometric values of whole-body bone mineral content and lean body mass in humans between 2 and 87 years Bone 1998 22: 683–690.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the Health Research Council of New Zealand. We thank the participants and their parents for their willing co-operation.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine, Otago University, Dunedin, New Zealand

    A Goulding, IE Jones, KA McAuley & PJ Manning

  2. Department of Human Nutrition, Otago University, Dunedin, New Zealand

    RW Taylor

  3. Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, Otago University, Dunedin, New Zealand

    SM Williams

Authors
  1. A Goulding
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. RW Taylor
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. IE Jones
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. KA McAuley
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. PJ Manning
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. SM Williams
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to A Goulding.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Goulding, A., Taylor, R., Jones, I. et al. Overweight and obese children have low bone mass and area for their weight. Int J Obes 24, 627–632 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0801207

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0801207

Keywords

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links