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Positive Association Between Adipose Tissue and Bone Stiffness

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Abstract

Obesity is often considered to have a protective effect against osteoporosis. On the other hand, several recent studies suggest that adipose tissue may have detrimental effects on bone quality. We therefore aimed to investigate the associations between body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), visceral adipose tissue (VAT) or abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT), and bone stiffness. The study involved 2685 German adults aged 20–79 years, who participated in either the second follow-up of the population-based Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP-2) or the baseline examination of the SHIP-Trend cohort. VAT and abdominal SAT were quantified by magnetic resonance imaging. Bone stiffness was assessed by quantitative ultrasound (QUS) at the heel (Achilles InSight, GE Healthcare). The individual risk for osteoporotic fractures was determined based on the QUS-derived stiffness index and classified in low, medium, and high risk. Linear regression models, adjusted for sex, age, physical activity, smoking status, risky alcohol consumption, diabetes, and height (in models with VAT or abdominal SAT as exposure), revealed positive associations between BMI, WC, VAT or abdominal SAT, and the QUS variables broadband-ultrasound attenuation or stiffness index. Moreover, BMI was positively associated with speed of sound. Our study shows that all anthropometric measures including BMI and, WC as well as abdominal fat volume are positively associated with bone stiffness in the general population. As potential predictors of bone stiffness, VAT and abdominal SAT are not superior to easily available measures like BMI or WC.

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Acknowledgments

SHIP is part of the Community Medicine Research net of the University of Greifswald, Germany, which is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (Grant Nos. 01ZZ9603, 01ZZ0103, and 01ZZ0403), the Ministry of Cultural Affairs as well as the Social Ministry of the Federal State of Mecklenburg-West Pomerania. This work is also part of the research project Greifswald Approach to Individualized Medicine (GANI_MED), which is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and the Ministry of Cultural Affairs of the Federal State of Mecklenburg–West Pomerania (03IS2061A).

Conflict of interest

R. M. Berg, H. Wallaschofski, M. Nauck, R. Rettig, M. R. P. Markus, R. Laqua, N. Friedrich, and A. Hannemann declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent

All procedures performed in SHIP-2 and SHIP-2 were approved by the ethics committee of the University of Greifswald and were in accordance with the ethical standards of the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments. All participants provided written informed consent.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, University Medicine Greifswald, Ferdinand-Sauerbruch-Straße, 17475, Greifswald, Germany

    R. M. Berg, H. Wallaschofski, M. Nauck, N. Friedrich & A. Hannemann

  2. Institute of Physiology, University Medicine Greifswald, Karlsburg, Germany

    R. Rettig

  3. Department of Internal Medicine B, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany

    M. R. P. Markus

  4. DZHK (German Centre for Cardiovascular Research), Partner Site Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany

    M. R. P. Markus

  5. Department of Study of Health in Pomerania/Clinical-Epidemiological Research, Institute for Community Medicine, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany

    M. R. P. Markus

  6. Institute of Diagnostic Radiology and Neuroradiology, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany

    R. Laqua

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  1. R. M. Berg
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  2. H. Wallaschofski
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  3. M. Nauck
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  8. A. Hannemann
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Correspondence to A. Hannemann.

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Berg, R.M., Wallaschofski, H., Nauck, M. et al. Positive Association Between Adipose Tissue and Bone Stiffness. Calcif Tissue Int 97, 40–49 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00223-015-0008-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00223-015-0008-3

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