Overweight and Obese People Are More Likely to Develop Osteoporosis

Overweight and obese people who pack noteworthy amounts of fat around their liver, muscle tissues and in their blood are more likely to develop osteoporosis, a new paper in the journal Radiology warns.

Specialists explain that, according to their investigations, excess visceral fat triggers bone loss.

Apparently, this link between obesity and an increased risk for osteoporosis is due to the fact that people whose internal organs are engulfed in fat also have fat inside their bone marrow.

This affects the bone marrow's ability to produce osteoblasts, i.e. specialized cells that are in charge of bone formation, EurekAlert explains.

In time, overweight and obese people's bones grow weaker, meaning that they are likely to fracture when traumatized.

“Bone marrow fat makes bones weak. If you have a spine that's filled with fat, it's not going to be as strong,” study lead author Miriam A. Bredella says.