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Beyond Biomechanics: Bone Strength Properties of Obese Adults
Author(s) -
Reeves Nicole
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.29.1_supplement.866.7
Subject(s) - tibia , femur , fibula , weight bearing , humerus , medicine , skeleton (computer programming) , biomechanics , body mass index , anatomy , quantitative computed tomography , appendicular skeleton , bone density , orthodontics , osteoporosis , surgery
In the anthropological literature, obesity has primarily been associated with changes in the weight bearing bones of the lower limb and spine, attributed to local biomechanical responses. Yet, a nascent literature suggests that neuroendocrine‐metabolic stimuli associated with bone and adipose tissues also affect bone mass systemically. Therefore, both mechanical and systemic factors should be considered, and their relative influence on skeletal morphology should be identifiable within individuals by comparing multiple skeletal elements, subjected to differing mechanical demands. The presented research addresses this question by examining high‐resolution computed tomography scans of 114 (70 male, 44 female) adult individuals from the William M. Bass Donated Skeletal Collection at The University of Tennessee. Based on associated demographic data, including recorded height and weight at death, individuals were grouped by body mass index (BMI) category, normal mass (BMI of 18.5 – 24.9) and obese (BMI 蠅 30). For each individual, cortical area, total area, second moments of area, and section moduli were calculated for a total of 21 cross‐sections from five skeletal elements (humerus, radius, femur, tibia, fibula), representing two mechanically disparate (weight bearing and non‐weight bearing) regions of the skeleton. Results indicate that obese individuals exhibit greater bone mass and strength properties for the humerus, femur, tibia, and fibula relative to normal mass individuals, with the load bearing bones displaying the greatest magnitudes of difference. These findings suggest that biomechanical effects are relatively greater in magnitude than systemic effects, but are not the only influence on skeletal morphology.