Body Mass and Lumbar Disc Degeneration

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Body Mass and Lumbar Disc Degeneration

The Study: Body mass index is associated with lumbar disc degeneration in young Finnish males: subsample of Northern Finland birth cohort study 1986

The Facts:

a. The authors sought to determine if BMI (body mass index), smoking and activity level are associated with disc degeneration.

b. They studied 558 young adults.

c. At the mean age of 21 they each had an MRI of the lumbar spine.

d. The authors determined that physical activity was not associated with disc degeneration in this group in either males or females.

e. High BMI at age 16 and high pack-years of smoking were both associated with disc degeneration in the males in this group but not in females.

f. The authors speculated that the high BMI might affect the discs by creating a “systemic inflammatory state”.

Take Home:
Being overweight and smoking appears to affect the discs of young males.

Reviewer’s Comments:
Two scientists whose work I enjoy reading recently said that if there is one article that says something that goes against what a number of other articles have said in the past you should be skeptical. Well in that vein, it seems to me that increased physical activity of the type where you receive trauma to the spine (think football, rugby, falls during gymnastics or cheerleading) should tend to adversely affect the disc. 


Reference: Takatalo J, Karppin J, Taimels S, Niinimaki J, Laitinen J, Blanco Sequeiros R, Pannanen M, Remes J, Nayha S, Tammelin T, Korpelainen R, Tervonen O. Body mass index is associated with lumbar disc degeneration in young Finnish males: subsample of Northern Finland birth cohort study 1986. BMC Musculoskelet Disord 2013;14:87. doi: 10.1186/1471-2474-14-87.

Link to Abstract: 

via Blogger http://chiropractic-lane.blogspot.com/2014/01/body-mass-and-lumbar-disc-degeneration.html