Researchers measured fat levels in 106 obese men and women and found that having high amounts of fat specifically in the liver, muscles, and blood was associated with having high amounts of fat within bone marrow, which can lead to weaker bones and eventually osteoporosis. They also found that not having enough of the good HDL cholesterol in the bloodstream results in more bone marrow fat. Obesity tends to shift the development of stem cells within bone marrow to create more fat cells than bone cells, according to Miriam A. Bredella, MD, an associate professor at Harvard Medical School. Although the exact messenger cells involved are not yet known, researchers theorize that something within organ fat and visceral fat triggers a response that stimulates these stem cells to either break down the bone too quickly or overpopulate it with fat cells. Not only does the study, published in the journal Radiology, indicate more dangers connected to obesity, but it also targets visceral fat as the explicit cause of these negative health conditions. “You cannot control the genetics, where you will gain that weight,” Dr. Bredella says. “So unfortunately, if you are one of these unlucky people who have a lot of fat within their organs, the liver or the muscle, or within the visceral, the deep belly fat, you just have to lose the weight.” More from Prevention: The Dangers of Skinny Fat More from Prevention: Body Fat Is The Deadliest Organ
