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 According to a new research by scientists at the Georgia Prevention Institute, overweight adolescents have increased risk of weak bones.

Whether a person is overweight or not is determined by a parameter called BMI, the Body Mass Index which is the measure of a person's weight with respect to his/her height. People with a body mass index ranging between 25 and 30 are categorized as overweight. Incidence of excess weight among children has been on the rise since years now; majorly among those kids who lead a lifestyle that is complemented with plenty of food and proportionately lesser physical activity. Over the last few decades, there has been a staggering increase the percentage of overweight adolescent population.
 
Overweight children suffer various negative health implications including insulin resistance, diabetes and several heart related disorders. Findings of a recent study have added weak bones to the ever growing list of health concerns that surrounds the population of overweight children. The study paper was recently published in The Journal of Pediatrics.

The research involved a study population of about 143 overweight children aged between14 years and 18 years. Results of the study had implications of less bone mass and weakened bone strength among overweight children in addition to other health risks that excess weight poses including the foreshadow of diabetes, low levels of HDL (high-density lipoprotein) cholesterol, the type of cholesterol responsible for protecting blood vessels. It was noted that about 62 percent of the overweight children suffered at least one risk factor among those mentioned above. The lead author of the study Dr. Norman Pollock pointed out that the more the risk factors a person has, the lesser will be his/her bone mass.

Findings of the study also laid emphasis on the other risk factors that may lead to weak bones including high levels of fat in the blood, high blood pressure and a larger waist size among others. Researchers suggested that the total body fat does not necessarily have an effect on the bone mass; rather it is the visceral fat, the fat that surrounds the abdomen that increases the risk of weaker bones; just the way it raises the risk of developing diabetes and various heart related diseases.

Researchers say that the mere restriction of calories is not the answer to fight excess weight; the focus of the kids and their parents should turn towards increasing the vigorous physical activities in their daily routine. Vigorous activity refers to any activity that raises the rate of the heart beat high enough to cause fast breathing. Researchers believe that physical activity causes the bones to release a hormone that aids in decreasing the health risks related to body fat. Activities like jogging, running, playing tennis or other outdoor sports are hence recommended for adolescents in order to keep their weight under controlled and subsequently decrease the risk of weak bones and lowering other major health risks.

Reference:

A recent study published in The Journal of Pediatrics. - by Dr. Norman Pollock and his team at the Georgia Prevention Institute, Georgia Health Sciences University. For more information, please visit:

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-03/ghsu-soa030411.php

Disclaimer: This article is written by a non-medical professional.