Kids with diabetes can also get weak bones

A new study has revealed that children that are at risk from diabetes are also at risk for weak bones. The research, by the Medical College of Georgia, is thought to be the first to associate weaker bones and type 2 diabetes risk in children.
The research, which was published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, examined 140 overweight children aged between 7 and 11 years who did not take regular exercise, finding that the 30 per cent that showed signs of poor blood sugar regulation had 4–5 per cent less bone mass, which is a measure of bone strength.
Norman Pollock, bone biologist at MCG’s Georgia Prevention Institute and lead author of the study, said “This finding provides the first clue linking childhood obesity to skeletal fractures. While overweight children may have more bone mass than normal weight kids, it may not be big or strong enough to compensate for their larger size.”
The team showed that higher amounts of visceral fat were associated with lower bone mass while more body fat overall was associated with higher bone mass, and that excessive abdominal fat may play a crucial part in linking pre-diabetes to lower bone mass.