[Effect of obesity on metabolic processes in bone tissue].

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the state of bone mass in obese individuals. Osteocalcin (OC) and parathormone (PTH) were measured (by RIA) in the sera of 137 obese, 32 premenopausal women, 65 postmenopausal women and 40 males, as well as in 28 controls, non-obese individuals. Values of OC and PTH were similar in the sera of all obese patients. Values of OC were higher in obese premenopausal women (p < 0.01) and lower in obese postmenopausal women (p < 0.01). However, the PTH value was higher in all obese patients, but significant only in premenopausal women (p < 0.05). These resuits suggest the existence of: a) oestrogen effects on osteoclasts and a consecutive inhibition of bone resorption in obese postmenopausal, and b) hypersecretion of PTH in obese premenopausal women.