Men's 'beer belly': prevention of osteoporosis should be strengthened
Men's "beer belly": prevention of osteoporosis should be strengthened
We all know that middle-aged and elderly women are prone to osteoporosis, and scholars generally agree that men are relatively less prone to bone loss. Previous studies on osteoporosis in the medical community only focused on women, and little attention was paid to men, especially obese men's osteoporosis problem has been ignored. In fact, "beer belly" men are also prone to osteoporosis.
creative picture
The study, conducted by radiologists at Massachusetts General Hospital at Harvard Medical School, was to identify risk factors for osteoporotic fractures in men. The researchers sought to quantify abdominal fat content and study its effect on bone strength through the study.
The researchers evaluated 35 obese men with an average age of 34 years and an average body mass index (BMI) of 36.5 who underwent CT scans of their abdomens and thighs to assess fat and muscle mass; high-resolution forearms were performed. CT examination was performed, and finite element analysis (FEA) was used to assess bone strength and predict fracture risk. The results showed that "beer belly" men were strongly associated with an increased risk of fractures.
(Normal BMI: WHO standard 18.5-24.9 is normal, Asian standard 18.5-22.9 is normal, Chinese reference standard 18.5-23.9 is normal.)
Finite element analysis techniques are often used in mechanical engineering, such as bridge or aircraft construction, to determine the force required to break a material. Medical experts use finite element analysis techniques to determine the strength or force required to break a bone.
Finite element analysis in the study showed that obese men with more total visceral and abdominal fat had lower failure load and failure stiffness (data from both bone porosimetry) than men with less visceral and abdominal fat . This suggests that abdominal or visceral fat is not conducive to bone strength in obese men; age or body mass index is not associated with bone mechanical properties ; men with high visceral fat have significantly lower bone strength than obese men with low visceral fat but similar BMI. The findings also showed that muscle mass was positively correlated with bone strength.
The above conclusion is expressed in a popular way, that is, the lower the visceral fat, the higher the muscle mass and the higher the relative bone strength; on the contrary, the higher the visceral fat of the obese, the lower the muscle mass and the relative bone strength. also lower. A decrease in relative bone strength increases the risk of fracture.
Therefore, osteoporosis is not a "patent" for women and the elderly, and men with "beer belly" are also at risk. If you lack exercise, rarely see sunlight, or adhere to poor diet, hobbies (such as partial eclipse, smoking, drinking) and other lifestyle habits in your youth, you will become an obese man with a lot of visceral and abdominal fat, thus slipping into a high risk of osteoporosis. Go in the crowd. This group of young and middle-aged men, often referred to as "beer belly", should pay the same attention to and strengthen the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis as women or the elderly.
Osteoporosis is known as the silent killer. Fracture is the first symptom and reason for medical treatment of some osteoporosis patients, and the serious consequences of its complications are unimaginable. According to the "Key Points of Knowledge on Prevention and Treatment of Osteoporosis" issued by the General Office of the Ministry of Health, within the first year after a hip fracture, the mortality rate due to various complications is as high as 20% to 25%; more than 50% of the survivors will have different mortality rates. degree of disability .
Text / Luo Zhaochun
All rights reserved, reprinting is prohibited without permission
Pay attention to the public account "Family Medicine" to learn more about health science