The Role of Bone Marrow Fat in Skeletal Health: Usefulness and Perspectives for Clinicians

Context: There is growing interest in the relationship between bone marrow fat (BMF), bone mineral density (BMD), and fractures. Moreover, BMF might be influenced by metabolic diseases associated with bone loss and fractures, such as type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), anorexia nervosa (AN), and obesit...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:The journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism 2015-10, Vol.100 (10), p.3613-3621
Main Authors: Paccou, Julien, Hardouin, Pierre, Cotten, Anne, Penel, Guillaume, Cortet, Bernard
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adipose Tissue - metabolism
Adipose Tissue - pathology
Bone Density
Bone Marrow - metabolism
Bone Marrow - pathology
Fractures, Bone - metabolism
Fractures, Bone - pathology
Humans
Life Sciences
Osteoporosis - metabolism
Osteoporosis - pathology
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Context: There is growing interest in the relationship between bone marrow fat (BMF), bone mineral density (BMD), and fractures. Moreover, BMF might be influenced by metabolic diseases associated with bone loss and fractures, such as type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), anorexia nervosa (AN), and obesity. Methods: The primary-source literature for this review was acquired using a PubMed search for articles published between January 2000 and April 2015. Search terms included BMF, BMD, fractures, T2DM, AN, and obesity. The titles and abstracts of all articles were reviewed for relevant subjects. Results: Magnetic resonance imaging, with or without spectroscopy, was used to noninvasively quantify BMF in humans. A negative relationship was found between BMD and BMF in both healthy and osteopenic/osteoporotic populations. Data are lacking on the relationship between BMF and fractures. Studies in populations of individuals with metabolic diseases such as T2DM, AN, and obesity have shown BMF abnormalities. Conclusions: We conclude that most human data demonstrate an inverse relationship between BMF and BMD, but data on the relationship with fractures are inconsistent and need further study. In daily practice, the usefulness for clinicians of assessing BMF using magnetic resonance imaging is still limited. However, the perspectives are exciting, particularly in terms of improving the diagnosis and management of osteoporosis.
ISSN:0021-972X
1945-7197
DOI:10.1210/jc.2015-2338