Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2006 Jun;136(6):1453-6.
doi: 10.1093/jn/136.6.1453.

Bone, body weight, and weight reduction: what are the concerns?

Affiliations
Review

Bone, body weight, and weight reduction: what are the concerns?

Sue A Shapses et al. J Nutr. 2006 Jun.

Abstract

Of the U.S. population, 65% is either overweight or obese, and weight loss is recommended to reduce co-morbid conditions. However, bone mobilization and loss may also occur with weight loss. The risk for bone loss depends on initial body weight, age, gender, physical activity, and conditions of dieting such as the extent of energy restriction and specific levels of nutrient intake. Older populations are more prone to bone loss with weight loss; in women, this is due at least in part to a reduced dietary Ca intake and/or efficiency of absorption. Potential hormonal mechanisms regulating bone loss during weight loss are discussed, including decreases in estrogen, leptin, glucagon-like peptide-2, growth hormone, and insulin-like growth factor-1, or an increase in cortisol. In contrast, the rise in adiponectin and ghrelin with weight reduction should not be detrimental to bone. Combining energy restriction with exercise does not necessarily prevent bone loss, but may attenuate loss as was shown with additional Ca intake or osteoporosis medications. Future controlled weight loss trials should be designed to further address mechanisms influencing the density and quality of bone sites vulnerable to fracture, in the prevention of osteoporosis.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
The effect of weight loss (WL), weight maintenance (WM), and the level of Ca intake on estimated Ca absorbed in postmenopausal women. NL-Ca, normal Ca (NL-Ca, 1.0 g Ca/d); high-Ca, 1.8g Ca/d. Values are means ± SEM, n = 57. *Differs from NL-Ca, P ≤ 0.05. Differs from NL-Ca group, P < 0.001. Adapted from (33).

Similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Shapses SA, Cifuentes M. Body weight/composition and weight change: effects on bone health. In: Holick MF, Dawson-Hughes B, editors. Nutrition and bone health. Humana Press Inc; Totowa, NJ: 2004. pp. 549–73.
    1. Espallargues M, Sampietro-Colom L, Estrada MD, Sola M, del Rio L, Setoain J, Granados A. Identifying bone-mass-related risk factors for fracture to guide bone densitometry measurements: a systematic review of the literature. Osteoporos Int. 2001;12:811–22. - PubMed
    1. Felson DT, Zhang Y, Hannan MT, Anderson JJ. Effects of weight and body mass index on bone mineral density in men and women: the Framingham study. J Bone Miner Res. 1993;8:567–73. - PubMed
    1. Papakitsou EF, Margioris AN, Dretakis KE, Trovas G, Zoras U, Lyritis G, Dretakis EK, Stergiopoulos K. Body mass index (BMI) and parameters of bone formation and resorption in postmenopausal women. Maturitas. 2004;47:185–93. - PubMed
    1. Cifuentes M, Johnson MA, Lewis RD, Heymsfield SB, Chowdhury HA, Modlesky CM, Shapses SA. Bone turnover and body weight relationships differ in normal-weight compared with heavier postmenopausal women. Osteoporos Int. 2003;14:116–22. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types