One in 4 older women with fractures obese

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VALENCIA, Spain, March 26 (UPI) -- Obese women are less likely to have a hip or wrist fracture but they may suffer more upper arm, ankle and lower leg fractures, researchers in Europe say.

An international group of researchers told the European Congress on Osteoporosis & Osteoarthritis in Valencia, Spain, the study compared fractures in obese and non-obese post-menopausal women.

The study found 23 percent of obese women experienced fractures at or after age 45, while 24 percent of non-obese women age 45 and older experienced fractures.

In obese women, the risk of fractures of the upper arm, ankle and lower leg was significantly higher, while fractures of the wrist, hip and pelvis were significantly less common than in non-obese women, the study says.

The research demonstrates that obese post-menopausal women are almost as likely to fracture as non-obese women, the researchers concluded.