Overweight Kids Tend to Get Broken Bones

Children who are overweight appear to have broken bones, joint problems, and bone abnormalities more often during childhood than kids of normal weight, research suggests, MSNBC reports.

“A lot of people think that if you’re an overweight kid … that later on in life you’re going to run into having heart disease or Type 2 diabetes, but kids and adults who are overweight are already having problems with their mobility, fractures, and joint pain," said Dr. Susan Yanovski, director of the obesity and eating disorders program at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Obviously, this research gives yet another reason why it’s important to try to lose weight.

3 thoughts on “Overweight Kids Tend to Get Broken Bones”

  1. I really want to get more information on this study for a Biology project. Can you please help me? I am having a hart time finding a medical journal to compare this to. Thank you.

  2. I would think your best bet is to track down obesity researcher Dr. Jack Yanovski, who conducted the study which found that children and teens who were overweight were far more likely to have had a fracture than their ideal-weight peers. As the MSNBC article says, he’s head of the growth and obesity program at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Just do a Google search, and I’m sure you’ll find him. You also could try contacting the Obesity Society in Vancouver, British Columbia, because he presented his research at its recent meeting. Hope that helps.
    Connie

  3. Re: Article about fractured bones in obese children. I am a primary school nurse, and I am seeing this to be true. In fact, we have had obese children who fx. bones and could not return to school with a cast in place because of the wt. bearing issues being too risky. A child with a lower BMI (metabolic index which measures obesity according to wt/stature/age) could have survived a fall, without breaking a bone, that the child with a really high bmi, who is seriously obese, did. It is alarming to see the number of children in school who are not just overwt., but obese. It is a national epidemic and the major threat to longevity and disease prevention of this, at least, decade. Mombonana

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