According to Dr. Norman Pollock, bone biologist at MCG's Georgia Prevention Institute, in a study of 140 overweight children, it has show that 30% have poor blood sugar regulation and 4-5 percent less bone mass, which is an indicator of bone strength.
Type 2 diabetes is becoming increasingly common in children and is usually associated with inactivity and obesity; however type 1 diabetes is usually associated with genes and environmental triggers.
"This finding provides the first clue linking childhood obesity to skeletal fractures," said Pollock, first author on the study published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research. "While overweight children may have more bone mass than normal-weight kids, it may not be big or strong enough to compensate for their larger size."
It was noted that all people that are overweight do not have weak bones, but it may have more to do with how the body fat is distributed throughout the body. It was observed that having higher amounts of body fat around the midsection can be a sign that the person has a lower bone mass.
However, change can be made early on in a child’s life to insure good health in the future. According to the Georgia Prevention Institute study, a child can reduce body fat easily through physical activity and their learning can be improved in school.
"Our greatest window of opportunity to enhance bone strength and ultimately reduce the risk of osteoporosis is during childhood, before the capacity to build bone diminishes," Pollock said. "One of the best things you can do for bone development and general health is exercise."
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