Obesity is Associated With Lower Risk of Hip Fractures

There is no shortage of health conditions that are either directly or indirectly related to excess body fat. Thus, it is of particular interest, when researchers find conditions for which the risk may actually be lower in obese individuals.

One such condition is hip fractures.

Thus, a meta-analysis by Tang and colleagues from Shanghai, published in PLoS One, demonstrates a substantially lower risk of hip fractures in individuals who are overweight and obese.

These findings were supported by an analysis of 15 prospective cohort studies involving over 3,000,000 participants.

Overall, adults with obesity had a 35% lower risk of sustaining hip fractures compared to normal weight individuals.

While obesity may well be a protective factor for hip fractures, unfortunately, obesity remains a significant risk factor for joint problems in both hips and knees.

So this finding may not be quite enough to write home about.

AMS
Banff, Alberta