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Obese Versus Normal-Weight Late-Adolescent Females have Inferior Trabecular Bone Microarchitecture: A Pilot Case-Control Study

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Abstract

Though still a topic of debate, the position that skeletal health is compromised with obesity has received support in the pediatric and adult literature. The limited data relating specifically to trabecular bone microarchitecture, however, have been relatively inconsistent. The aim of this pilot cross-sectional case-control study was to compare trabecular bone microarchitecture between obese (OB) and normal-weight (NW) late-adolescent females. A secondary aim was to compare diaphyseal cortical bone outcomes between these two groups. Twenty-four non-Hispanic white females, ages 18–19 years, were recruited into OB (n = 12) or NW (n = 12) groups based on pre-specified criteria for percent body fat (≥32 vs. <30, respectively), body mass index (>90th vs. 20th–79th, respectively), and waist circumference (≥90th vs. 25th–75th, respectively). Participants were also individually matched on age, height, and oral contraceptive use. Using magnetic resonance imaging, trabecular bone microarchitecture was assessed at the distal radius and proximal tibia metaphysis, and cortical bone architecture was assessed at the mid-radius and mid-tibia diaphysis. OB versus NW had lower apparent trabecular thickness (radius and tibia), higher apparent trabecular separation (radius), and lower apparent bone volume to total volume (radius; all P < 0.050). Some differences in radius and tibia trabecular bone microarchitecture were retained after adjusting for insulin resistance or age at menarche. Mid-radius and mid-tibia cortical bone volume and estimated strength were lower in the OB compared to NW after adjusting for fat-free soft tissue mass (all P < 0.050). These trabecular and cortical bone deficits might contribute to the increased fracture risk in obese youth.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge the staff and students of the Bone and Body Composition Laboratory at the University of Georgia for their assistance in conducting this study. We also thank the participants for their time and commitment to this research.

Funding

This work was supported by Grant HL 87923-03S1 from the National Institutes of Health and the USDA, CSRS, National Institute of Food and Agriculture Hatch Projects GEO00797 and GEO00647.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Foods and Nutrition, The University of Georgia, 279 Dawson Hall, 305 Sanford Drive, Athens, GA, USA

    Joseph M. Kindler, Hannah L. Ross, Emma M. Laing & Richard D. Lewis

  2. Department of Pediatrics, Augusta University, HS-1640 Health Sciences Campus, Augusta, GA, USA

    Norman K. Pollock

  3. Department of Kinesiology, The University of Georgia, Ramsey Center, 330 River Rd, Athens, GA, USA

    Christopher M. Modlesky

  4. Department of Kinesiology & Applied Physiology, University of Delaware, 201 N STAR Health Sciences Complex, Newark, DE, USA

    Harshvardhan Singh

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  1. Joseph M. Kindler
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Correspondence to Richard D. Lewis.

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Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent

This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board for Human Subjects at The University of Georgia. Informed consent was obtained from all participants included in the study.

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Kindler, J.M., Pollock, N.K., Ross, H.L. et al. Obese Versus Normal-Weight Late-Adolescent Females have Inferior Trabecular Bone Microarchitecture: A Pilot Case-Control Study. Calcif Tissue Int 101, 479–488 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00223-017-0303-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00223-017-0303-2

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