Belly fat ‘increases osteoporosis risk’

Those who carry excess fat around their middle are at increased risk of developing osteoporosis, a study has revealed, which could motivate people to lose weight and keep it off.

Researchers from the Harvard Medical School in Boston studied 50 premenopausal women who had an average body mass index of 30, which is classed as obese.

Women with more visceral fat, which is deep under the muscle tissue, were found to have increased bone marrow fat and decreased bone mineral density.

"Our results showed that having a lot of belly fat is more detrimental to bone health than having more superficial fat or fat around the hips," said the study's lead author, Dr Miriam Bredella, a radiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital and assistant professor of radiology at Harvard Medical School in Boston.

Last month, a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association revealed that visceral abdominal fat can be reduced through long-term lifestyle intervention programmes that feature exercise and a healthy diet.

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