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ARS Home » Plains Area » Houston, Texas » Children's Nutrition Research Center » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #141575
Title: BONE MINERAL MASS IN OVERWEIGHT AND OBESE CHILDREN: DIMINISHED OR ENHANCED?

Author
item Ellis, Kenneth
item SHYPAILO, ROMAN - BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MED
item Wong, William
item Abrams, Steven

Submitted to: Acta Diabetologica
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/1/2002
Publication Date: 10/1/2002
Citation: Ellis, K.J., Shypailo, R.J., Wong, W.W., Abrams, S.A. 2003. Bone mineral mass in overweight and obese children: diminished or enhanced? Acta Diabetologia. 40:S274-S277.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Childhood obesity has become a world-wide health problem. Recent studies may have suggested that obese and overweight children have reduced bone mass. We have used dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) to examine whole-body bone mineral content (BMC) and lean tissue mass (LTM) in healthy children (n=865, ages 5-18 years) representing a full range of body fatness (%fat). The 'overweight' and 'obese' cutpoints for %fat were set at 25% and 30%, respectively. A reference Z-score model for BMC in children was used to obtain a standardized Z-score rating for each child. Additional statistical analyses included linear regression, analysis of variance, and t-test. There were ethnic and gender differences for BMC vs body weight (Wt) and height (Ht), but not for BMC vs LTM. Obese children had increased BMC and LTM compared with age-, gender-, and ethnic-matched children with normal adiposity. When adjusted for height and Tanner stage, these differences were not significant. We conclude: (1) the lower bone mineral mass previously reported for obese children was not evident when the anthropometric index was height; and (2) obese children have increased BMC compared with leaner children, when adjusted for height, age, gender, and ethnicity.