Higher Levels of Fat in Muscles, Organs Raises Risk of Osteoporosis

Higher levels of fat in the liver, muscle tissue and blood are often associated with higher amounts of fat in the bone marrow, which can increase the risk for osteoporosis, according to a recent study.

"Lipids and lipoproteins are emerging as important regulators of skeletal physiologic characteristics and have been shown to inhibit osteoblast and to enhance osteoclast differentiation and survival," the authors note, via a press release.

According to lead study author Miriam A. Bredella, MD, a diagnostic radiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital and associate professor radiology at Harvard medical School in Boston, MA., researchers used proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy to quantify bone marrow content and test the amount of lipids found in the muscle and liver. Other testing included a 2-hour glucose tolerance test, fasting triglyceride levels and total, high-density lipoprotein, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels.

One hundred and six obese men and women between the ages of 19 and 45 were examined for the study.

The results showed that people with more liver and muscle fat had higher levels of fat in their bone marrow, regardless of their body mass index, age or even how much they exercised.

The study also showed that triglycerides, the type of fat found in the blood, also had a positive correlation with bone marrow fat. Researchers believe the reason for this may be due to their ability to stimulate osteoclasts, a type of cell that breaks up bone tissue.

Researchers also found that HDL cholesterol, what's otherwise known as "good" cholesterol, was associated with bone marrow fat content.

"Because bone marrow fat is known to be inversely related to [bone mineral density], these results support the notion that ectopic and serum lipid levels are influenced by the same additional factors as bone marrow or may exert negative effects on bone," the authors concluded, via the study.

More information regarding the study can be found online in the journal Radiology.