Original Paper

The Interrelationships between Abdominal Adiposity, Leptin and Bone Mineral Content in Overweight Latino Children
Afrooz Afghani^a, Michael I. Goran<sup>b

a</sup>College of Health Sciences, TUI University, Cypress, Calif., and
^bDepartment of Preventive Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, Calif., USA

Address of Corresponding Author

Horm Res 2009;72:82-87 (DOI: 10.1159/000232160)

  Key Words

• Abdominal adiposity
• Leptin
• Osteopenia
• Bone mineral content

  Abstract

Background/Aims: The link between abdominal fat and bone mineral content (BMC), independent of weight, has not been extensively studied. In Latino children, the contributions of abdominal subcutaneous and visceral fat to BMC have not been examined. Research on the effect of leptin on BMC has also been inconclusive. Methods: The present study included 256 overweight Latino children (111 girls, 145 boys; mean BMI 28.2; age 11.1 ± 1.7 years) from Los Angeles, California. Subcutaneous abdominal adipose tissue (SAAT) and intra-abdominal adipose tissue (IAAT) were determined by single-slice magnetic resonance imaging. BMC was measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Results: Independent of age, Tanner stage and weight, abdominal adipose tissue (SAAT + IAAT) was inversely correlated with BMC (r = -0.46, p < 0.0001; n = 256). In girls, there was an inverse correlation between SAAT and BMC (r = -0.38, p < 0.05), between IAAT and BMC (r = -0.32, p < 0.05) and between leptin and BMC (r = -0.39, p < 0.05). In boys, SAAT and BMC were inversely correlated (r = -0.26, p < 0.05), but the correlation between IAAT and BMC was not significant (p = 0.22). Leptin was also inversely correlated with BMC (r = -0.38, p < 0.05) in boys and contributed to the variances in BMC in both girls and boys. Conclusion: Total abdominal adipose fat and leptin are negatively associated with BMC in Latino children. The correlation between SAAT and BMC is stronger in girls than boys. IAAT and BMC are negatively associated in girls but not correlated in boys.

Copyright © 2009 S. Karger AG, Basel

  Author Contacts

Afrooz Afghani, PhD, MPH
TUI College of Health Sciences
5665 Plaza Drive, Third Floor
Cypress, CA 90630 (USA)
Tel. +1 714 226 9840, Fax +1 714 226 9845, E-Mail aafghani@tuiu.edu

  Article Information

This work was presented in part at the 15th European Congress on Obesity held in Budapest, Hungary, in April 2007.

Received: April 16, 2008
Accepted: September 18, 2008
Published online: August 18, 2009
Number of Print Pages : 6
Number of Figures : 0, Number of Tables : 3, Number of References : 25