Endocrine Abstracts

Obese teenagers are likely to become obese adults in the future. Obesity affects various bodily systems, including the musculoskeletal system, both biochemically and mechanically. These negative consequences are ultimately connected to wrongful muscle loading and unloading patterns. Pediatric obesity is especially dangerous. This study examined adolescents with BMI ranging from average weight to morbidly obese; various locomotion parameters were measured in adolescents. The study found numerous biomechanics parameters, including weight acceptance and push-off peak forces, stance time, and step length, were significantly modified in obese teenagers. The pattern of alterations suggests that muscular loading and unloading in obese adolescents changes to accommodate energy expenditure during locomotion. The study concludes by analyzing various metabolism changes that might contribute to the altered movement. Such adaptations, while seemingly allowing for locomotion adjustment in the short term, might perpetuate musculoskeletal and other systems pathologies if obese adolescents remain obese as adults.