Weight Loss Linked to Bone Loss in Middle Aged Women

By Ashwin Subramania - 16 Apr '15 09:34AM

A new study has revealed that when middle aged women lose weight, they could be losing bone density as well.

Even with inclusion of calcium in the diet combined with other food products, older women were shown to be losing more bone density while losing weight, when compared to younger women and men.

In an interview to Reuters, Dr. Meryl LeBoff of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston and senior author of the study said "Weight loss has been associated with beneficial effects on cardiovascular risk factors like diabetes. However, extremes of weight loss have been associated with bone loss, and according to some studies, increased risk of fracture."

"Osteoporosis is a major public health problem and 40 percent of women and 20 percent of men ages 50 years and older will develop an osteoporotic fracture in their remaining lifetime," LeBoff said. "So there's a real concern about skeletal health particularly among the population 50 years and older."

For the study, Dr LeBoff and her team analysed the data gathered through 424 participants. All of them were between the ages of 30 to 70 with 60 percent of them being women.

All participants were obese or at least overweight at the start of the study and all of them were assigned to follow one of 4 diet regimens. Two of these contained average amounts of protein while the other two provided rich sources of protein.

At the end of 2 years, women lost an average of 6.4 percent while men lost an average of 8 percent of their body weight. After analysing the data, Dr LeBoff said "The women lost bone density at the spine and the hip in the postmenopausal group and the men actually gained bone density at the spine and had a stable bone density of the hip."

She then went on to add, "So . . . while weight loss can have beneficial effects on a number of cardiovascular and other health outcomes, it's important to consider skeletal health, particularly in women in whom weight loss can result in bone loss and since women are at a markedly increased risk for fractures."