Weight Loss Influences Bone Parameters in Older Adults

A study published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research showed that older adults with long-term or recent weight loss of at least 5 percent had deterioration in both cortical and trabecular bone density and microarchitecture, especially at the weight-bearing skeleton, reports Healio . The researchers analyzed data from 1,361 older adults, including the adult children and spouses of the original participants of an earlier study. All participants underwent high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography scans at the tibia and radius between 2012 and 2016. The average relative long-term weight change was 9 percent, and average relative recent weight change was -1 percent. Within the cohort, 12 percent exhibited long-term weight loss of at least 5 percent, and 22 percent had recent weight loss of at least 5 percent. Both long-term and recent weight loss correlated with lower cortical density and thickness, higher cortical porosity, and lower trabecular density and number. Results continued after adjustment for age, sex, height, current smoking status, and diabetes status, but stronger linkage was seen at the tibia compared to the radius after adjustment. Moreover, trabecular volumetric bone mineral density and failure load were reduced in people with long-term weight loss, although this was not noticed in adults with short-term weight loss. "The lower values for many of the microarchitecture measures that were observed in the weight-loss group were accompanied by an increase in the total area of the bone," the researchers say. "This suggests the possibility that as loading of the skeleton is reduced with weight loss, the reduction in bone density and cortical thickness may lead to a compensatory expansion of the periosteal surface to maintain bone strength."