POSTMENOPAUSAL OSTEOPOROSIS IN OBESE WOMEN

Abstract

Obesity and osteoporosis are two common diseases with an increasing prevalence and a high impact on morbidity and mortality. Obese women have always been considered protected against osteoporosis. Fat and bone are linked by many pathways, which ultimately serve the function of providing a skeleton appropriate to the mass of adipose tissue it is carrying. Leptin, adiponectin, adipocytic estrogens and insulin/amylin are involved in this connection. However, excessive body fat, and particularly abdominal fat, produces inflammatory cytokines which may stimulate bone resorption and reduce bone strength. Even more recent studies have shown conflicting results. There is growing evidence that obesity, and particularly severe obesity, may be related to an increased risk of fracture at different skeletal sites which is partially independent from bone mineral density (BMD). This review aimed to examine the literature data on the relationships of body mass index (BMI) and fat mass with osteoporosis in postmenopausal women.

Key words: BMI, obesity, menopause, osteoporosis.