Bone Mineral Content Continues to Increase in Obese Adolescents During Weight Loss
Obese teenagers who succeeded in losing weight in a year-long medically supervised weight control program also saw their bone mineral content increase over that period, say researchers from The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. The finding was reassuring, because adolescence is a critical period for bone health in later life.
A study in the current issue of the journal Obesity studied 62 adolescents between the ages of nine and 17 years who participated in a trial looking at the effectiveness of a comprehensive, family-based, behavioral weight control program in conjunction with a weight loss drug, sibutramine. The researchers previously reported the combination of behavioral changes and medication helped very obese teenagers lose weight.
In adults, obesity is associated with increased bone mineral density and voluntary weight loss is associated with a decrease in bone mineral density. The findings in this study show that bone mineral content continues to increase in this adolescent population despite weight loss.
