Relationship between body composition and bone mass in normal-weight and overweight adolescents

Mateus Augusto Bim; André de Araujo Pinto; Hector Cris Colares de Angelo; Isadora Gonzaga; Adriana Coutinho de Azevedo Guimarães; Érico Pereira Gomes Felden; Wellington Roberto Gomes de Carvalho; Karen Hind; Andreia Pelegrini

doi:10.7717/peerj.14108

Relationship between body composition and bone mass in normal-weight and overweight adolescents

PeerJ. 2022 Nov 3:10:e14108. doi: 10.7717/peerj.14108. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Mateus Augusto Bim¹, André de Araujo Pinto², Hector Cris Colares de Angelo¹, Isadora Gonzaga¹, Adriana Coutinho de Azevedo Guimarães¹, Érico Pereira Gomes Felden¹, Wellington Roberto Gomes de Carvalho³, Karen Hind⁴, Andreia Pelegrini¹

Affiliations

¹ Universidade do Estado de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Brazil.
² Universidade Estadual de Roraima, Boa Vista, Brazil.
³ Universidade Federal do Triângulo Mineiro, Uberaba, Brazil.
⁴ Durham University, Durham, United Kingdom.

Abstract

Adolescence is a period characterized by large accumulation of bone mass. Body composition is an important determinant of bone mass. This study aimed to assess the relationship of bone mass with lean mass (LM) and fat mass (FM) in normal-weight and overweight adolescents with consideration of sex, sexual maturation and physical activity covariates. A total of 118 adolescents (60 girls and 58 boys) aged between 10 and 14 years participated in the study. Individuals were classified as normal weight or overweight according to body mass index. Bone mineral density (BMD), bone mineral content (BMC), LM, and FM were measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. In normal-weight adolescents, LM (β = 0.725, p < 0.001) and FM (β = 0.185, p = 0.019) were associated with lumbar spine BMC, whereas in overweight adolescents only LM (β = 0.736, p < 0.001) was associated with lumbar spine BMC. Furthermore, in the normal-weight group, FM and LM were associated with total body less head BMD (LM, β = 0.792, p < 0.001; FM, β = 0.257, p = 0.007) and lumbar spine BMD (LM, β = 0.553, p < 0.001; FM, β = 0.199, p < 0.035). In the overweight group, only LM was associated with total body less head BMD (β = 0.682, p < 0.001) and lumbar spine BMD (β = 0.528, p < 0.001). LM was the main predictor of bone mass in normal-weight and overweight adolescents. FM was associated with bone mass in normal-weight adolescents only. LM may be considered an important and useful marker in adolescents, when investigating bone health in this population. Activities that promote LM gain to reduce the risk of bone fractures and diseases in adulthood are recommended.

Keywords: Adolescent; Body weight; Bone mineral content; Bone mineral density; X-ray absorptiometry.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Body Composition
Body Mass Index
Bone Density*
Child
Female
Humans
Lumbar Vertebrae / diagnostic imaging
Male
Overweight*

Grants and funding

This study was funded by the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq, grant number 445657/2014-6) and the Foundation for Support to Research and Innovation of the State of Santa Catarina (FAPESC, grant number 2021TR950). The publication fee for this study was supported by Research and Innovation Support of the State of Santa Catarina (FAPESC 2021tr950). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.