Research

Hormonal

In postmenopausal women, high percentage body fat and waist circumference are associated with lower bone mineral density and increased risk of vertebral fractures, whereas higher body weight is associated with higher bone mineral density.

For postmenopausal women, maintaining a healthy body weight is important for bone strength, but carrying excess body fat, particularly around the waist, increases the risk of bone loss and fractures. Focus on body composition rather than just total weight.

GoodQualifiesHIGH confidence
In contrast to the effect favorable body weight on bone mineral density, high percentage body fat and waist circumference are related to low BMD and a vertebral fracture.
Kyongchol Kim et al. · Yonsei Medical Journal · 2010

Why this rating

Large sample size (n=907) and rigorous adjustment for confounders, but cross-sectional design limits causal inference.

Source

Relation between Obesity and Bone Mineral Density and Vertebral Fractures in Korean Postmenopausal Women

Kyongchol Kim et al. · Yonsei Medical Journal · 2010

DOI 10.3349/ymj.2010.51.6.857

cross_sectional · n=907Cited 179×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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