Recent findings in Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism reveals that being overweight or obese may not protect people from developing brittle bones.
Study lead by Dr. Jean-Marc Kaufman of Ghent University Hospital in Belgium and his colleagues, found that fat people had small and thin bones when compared with lean people who have larger and denser skeletons.
Earlier studies believed that high body mass index might protect both men and women against bone thinning diseases like osteoporosis, while being thin increases the chances of person to develop fractures.
But, recent research suggests that fat mass may affect bones differently than muscle mass does.
Lean muscle mass is the major determinant of bone size and bone size is adapted to dynamic load imposed by muscle force rather than passive loading by fat.
Source: Reuters
