The Interrelationships between Abdominal Adiposity, Leptin and Bone Mineral Content in Overweight Latino Children

Abstract

Background/Aims: The link between abdominal fat and bone mineral content (BMC), independent of weight, has not been extensively studied. In Latino children, the contributions of abdominal subcutaneous and visceral fat to BMC have not been examined. Research on the effect of leptin on BMC has also been inconclusive. Methods: The present study included 256 overweight Latino children (111 girls, 145 boys; mean BMI 28.2; age 11.1 ± 1.7 years) from Los Angeles, California. Subcutaneous abdominal adipose tissue (SAAT) and intra-abdominal adipose tissue (IAAT) were determined by single-slice magnetic resonance imaging. BMC was measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Results: Independent of age, Tanner stage and weight, abdominal adipose tissue (SAAT + IAAT) was inversely correlated with BMC (r = –0.46, p < 0.0001; n = 256). In girls, there was an inverse correlation between SAAT and BMC (r = –0.38, p < 0.05), between IAAT and BMC (r = –0.32, p < 0.05) and between leptin and BMC (r = –0.39, p < 0.05). In boys, SAAT and BMC were inversely correlated (r = –0.26, p < 0.05), but the correlation between IAAT and BMC was not significant (p = 0.22). Leptin was also inversely correlated with BMC (r = –0.38, p < 0.05) in boys and contributed to the variances in BMC in both girls and boys. Conclusion: Total abdominal adipose fat and leptin are negatively associated with BMC in Latino children. The correlation between SAAT and BMC is stronger in girls than boys. IAAT and BMC are negatively associated in girls but not correlated in boys.

Influence of visceral and subcutaneous fat in bone mineral density of obese adolescents

“…It is important to note that hyperleptinemic state was found in the analyzed group, suggesting that leptin deficiency and/or resistance, as well as other proinflammatory adipokines involved in bone resorption may promote osteoporosis (22). Corroborating our findings, another study reported that both abdominal adipose tissue and leptin were negatively associated with BMC in Latino overweight children of both genders (36).…”

Association between Lean and Fat Mass and Indicators of Bone Health in Prepubertal Caucasian Children

“…The association between abdominal body fat and bone has also been explored in prepubertal [28,29] as well as in postpubertal [30,31] adolescents, and all studies suggest a negative association. The pediatric literature is currently unable to disentangle these conflicting results; existing studies have not always included both boys and girls [15,20,23,32], taken into account known determinants of bone health such as sexual maturity, physical activity and calcium intake [6,16,20,21], and some were limited by small sample sizes [6,16,23,32,33].…”

Central Depletion of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor in Mice Results in High Bone Mass and Metabolic Phenotype

“…The relationship between fat and bone appears to be bone site specific and determined by regional rather than total body fat. Visceral fat may act as a pathogenic fat depot, whereas sc fat may exert protective effects on bone structure and strength in adults (52) but not in obese children (53). Whereas obesity appears to protect against hip and vertebral fractures, obese adults may be at increased risk of fracture at the humerus (54) and ankle (55,56).…”