Predictor of Future Bone Health

New research highlights how BMI patterns during midlife affect the likelihood of bone fractures in old age.

Body mass index (BMI) trajectories during middle adulthood significantly influence the risk of bone fractures in late adulthood, as per a study published in Osteoporosis International ().

The study, "Association of bone fracture with 30-year body mass index (BMI) trajectories: findings from the Framingham Heart Study," provides valuable insights into the potential implications of BMI changes on fracture risk later in life.

Body Mass Index
Body mass index (BMI) is a simple tool that is generally used to estimate the total amount of body fat.

‘Did You Know?
The average BMI has increased globally over the past few decades, contributing to rising rates of obesity-related diseases. #bodymassindex #bmi #adulthood’

The study analyzed data from the Framingham Original Cohort Study, involving 1772 participants with an average follow-up of 17.1 years.

BMI trajectories were constructed using latent class mixed modeling, and their association with fracture risk after age 65 was explored using Cox regression.

BMI-Bone Fracture Connection

Key findings of the study include:

Participants transitioning from overweight to normal weight during middle adulthood had a higher risk of all fractures after age 65 years compared to those who maintained a stable BMI.
Similar patterns were observed for lower extremity fractures, including pelvis, hip, leg, and foot fractures.

"These findings emphasize the importance of maintaining a stable BMI throughout adulthood to reduce the risk of fractures in later life," said Douglas P. Kiel, MD, MPH, Director, Musculoskeletal Research Center and Senior Scientist, Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research, Hebrew SeniorLife; and Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

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"For overweight individuals, strategies to avoid bone loss during periods of weight loss during middle adulthood could be beneficial in terms of reducing fracture risk. This is especially true with the recent increases in the use of the new obesity drugs. "

Reference:

Association of bone fracture with 30-year body mass index (BMI) trajectories: findings from the Framingham Heart Study - (https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00198-024-07068-7)

Source-Eurekalert

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