The struggle with weight and extra pounds is like those battles that never end. For years, people have been told through different food regimes, diets or gyms, which is the healthiest way to lose weight.
But what are the unintended consequences of losing weight?
One of these major consequences is damage to bone density, according to endocrinologist Kurt Kennel of the Mayo Clinic. The problems that come after that are constant bone pain and lack of resistance for daily activities and more. Although bone density is not talked about much, it is an important point that should be discussed especially when people follow certain diets or regimes.
"If you have higher bone density, that means you have denser, healthier bones that are more resistant to breaking," says Gillian Wooldridge, MD, Houston Methodist Hospital. "If you have thinner bone density, that means you don't have as good structure there, and that leads to increased risk for fractures."
This is why weight loss also brings problems with age, leading to broken bones or hip fractures. "We want to stay at peak bone density, but factors such as menopause and aging, among other factors, can also weaken them due to diets," says Kennel.
Weight loss can harm bone density, but extreme weight loss and crash diets are more harmful. Studies show that bone density loss is less prevalent and harmful in people who lose a moderate amount of weight in a healthy way and more pronounced in people who lose weight rapidly. This means restriction of calories, deficit of salts and minerals and consequently lower energy level, and more delicate bones.
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Source: HuffPost
