Cardiometabolic risk factors mediate link between body composition, bone mineral content

The number of cardiometabolic risk (CMR) factors plays an important role in mediating the association between fat percentage and bone mineral content (BMC) percentage in children, suggests a study.

Some 317 healthy children aged 5 to 16 years from South India were included in this study. They underwent anthropometric, blood biochemistry, blood pressure, body composition and BMC assessments using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry.

Based on the number of CMR factors, the investigators categorized children into three groups: 0, 1, and ≥2 CMR factors. They then compared the parameters between the CMR groups using analysis of variance and performed mediation analysis to determine if the number of CMR factors mediated the relationship between fat percentage and BMC percentage.

The prevalence of 0, 1, and ≥2 CMR factors among children was 42.3 percent, 33.9 percent, and 23.9 percent, respectively. The mean BMC percentage was lowest in children with ≥2 CMR factors. BMC percentage in the whole group showed a significantly negative relationship with fat percentage (r, –0.68; p<0.0001) and positive association with lean percentage (r, 0.64; p<0.0001).

After adjusting for age and sex, the number of CMR factors showed a significant mediating effect on the association between fat percentage and BMC percentage (average causal mediation effects, –0.001, bootstrapped 95 percent confidence interval, –0.0039 to –0.0001; p<0.01). The significant association, however, was attenuated when adjusted for covariates.

“Further studies are needed to confirm these findings, understand mechanisms, and plan appropriate strategies,” the investigators said.