Influence of Physical Activity on Bone Mineral Content and Density in Overweight and Obese Children with Low Adherence to the Mediterranean Dietary Pattern.

Victoria Muñoz-Hernandez,Francisco B Ortega,Jonatan R Ruiz,Elisa Merchan Ramirez,Wendy D Martinez Avila,Idoia Labayen,Luis Gracia-Marco,Maddi Oses,Maria Medrano,Lide Arenaza

doi:10.3390/nu10081075

Victoria Muñoz-Hernandez, Francisco B Ortega + Show 8 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/nu10081075

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Abstract

The objective of the present cross-sectional study was to examine the associations of physical activity and the adherence to the Mediterranean dietary pattern (MDP) with bone mineral content (BMC) and density (BMD) in children with overweight and obesity. A total of 177 (n = 80 girls) children with overweight and obesity aged 8 to 12 years old participated in the study. Both BMC and BMD were assessed by Dual-Energy X-ray absorptiometry. Dietary patterns were assessed by the KIDMED questionnaire and two 24-hour recalls. Physical activity was assessed by accelerometers for 7 consecutive days (24 hours/day). Low adherence to the MDP was observed in 82.4% of participants. Higher physical activity levels (of at least moderate intensity) and lower sedentary time were significantly associated with BMC and BMD in children with low adherence to the MDP (all p < 0.05). No associations were observed between physical activity and BMC and BMD in children with high adherence to the MDP. In conclusion, engaging in moderate to vigorous physical activity and reducing the time spent in sedentary behavior might be particularly beneficial for improving bone health in overweight or obese children with poor adherence to the Mediterranean dietary pattern.

Highlights

The World Health Organization has recognized osteoporosis as a chronic noncommunicable disease [1]
The results show that PA is associated with both bone mineral content (BMC) and bone mineral density (BMD) in those children who had low adherence to the Mediterranean dietary pattern (MDP), whereas no associations were observed among children with high adherence to this dietary pattern
Our results suggest that an increase of 1 hour/day of the time in moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) and a reduction of 48 min/day of the time spent in sedentary behavior in overweight children with low adherence to the MDP may result in an increase of 10 g in BMC

Summary

Introduction

The World Health Organization has recognized osteoporosis as a chronic noncommunicable disease [1]. Osteoporosis is the most common skeletal disease in humans and its prevalence increases with age. Fractures resulting from it are a major public health problem in developed countries and in developing countries [2]. Childhood and adolescence are important life stages characterized by changes in skeletal size and shape [3,4]. In this regard, maximizing peak bone mass is an essential prevention strategy. Later in life and approximately 90% of the peak bone mass is attained by the age of eighteen [5]. Environmental non-modifiable (e.g., hormones) [7] and modifiable factors (i.e., dietary habits and physical activity (PA)) [8,9,10] are of great importance and account for the remaining variance

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