Higher body fat is linked to lower bone mineral density (BMD), especially in men, suggests an analysis of data from a large, nationally representative sample, published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

Investigators assessed the relationship between BMD and body composition in 10,814 men and women, 20-59 years of age, from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2011-2018. Lean mass was found to have a strong positive correlation with bone density, while fat mass had a moderate negative effect. An additional kg/m² of fat mass index (FMI) was linked to a 0.10 lower T-score, the number of standard deviations from the expected bone density in a young adult. The negative effect appeared to be greater among men, with a 0.13 lower T-score for each additional 1 kg/m² of FMI, in comparison with 0.08 lower T-score among women. Additionally, the effect was most marked in individuals in the highest FMI quartile… (Medscape)