2010-11-30 Belly Fat Linked to Women’s Osteoporosis Risk - Study Shows Fat Around the Waistline May Be Harmful to Bone Health

http://www.webmd.com/osteoporosis/news/20101130/belly-fat-linked-to-womens-osteoporosis-risk

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).(Read entire article)

2010-11-30 Belly Fat Puts Women at Risk for Osteoporosis, Study Finds

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/11/101130100355.htm

For years, it was believed that obese women were at lower risk for developing osteoporosis, and that excess body fat actually protected against bone loss. However, a study presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) found that having too much internal abdominal fat may, in fact, have a damaging effect on bone health.

"We know that obesity is a major public health problem," said the study's lead author, Miriam A. Bredella, M.D., a radiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital and assistant professor of radiology at Harvard Medical School in Boston. "Now we know that abdominal obesity needs to be included as a risk factor for osteoporosis and bone loss." (Read entire article)