New Research Suggests Fat Mass Helps Build Bone Mass In Girls

She's/he's not fat. She's/he's big-boned. Nope. She's/he's both.

"According to a new study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM), fat mass is important in increasing bone size and thickness, but this effect appears to be stronger in girls than boys.

Lean mass is one of the strongest determinants of bone mass throughout life. Until now, it has been unclear whether fat mass and lean mass differ in how they influence bone development in boys and girls. Findings from previous studies have been inconsistent regarding whether fat mass has a positive or negative impact on bone development. This new study shows that fat mass is a strong stimulus for the accrual of cortical bone mass (hard outer layer of bone) in girls."

Better to get the bones from lean.