New research suggests that abdominal fat plays a negative role in bone strength that causes overweight kids to be at a higher risk of diabetes before puberty besides the possibility of weaker bones in adulthood.

The study revealed that children who got little exercise showed 30 percent more chances of becoming diabetic and up to five percent less bone mass. This is possibly the first study to associate weaker bones with a risk of child diabetes.

Researchers at the Medical College of Georgia examined 150 children aged between seven and 11 and found that more than one-third of the sample group showed poor blood sugar regulation and low bone strength.

While overweight children have more bone bass than normal kids, the bones may not be big or strong enough to make up for their larger size, says Norman Pollock, the leader of the team at the Medical College of Georgia.

While it may be erroneous to suggest that every overweight kid has weak bones, Norman says that the study results could possibly have a bearing on the way fat is distributed around the body of an obese child.

People with pre-diabetes usually have additional fat around their abdomens called visceral fat which is found deep in the belly and is linked to cardiovascular disease and diabetes. The study, published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, suggests that the larger the quantity of visceral fat, the lower the bone mass.

The researchers suggest that these findings pave the way for additional research to enhance bone strength and ultimately reduce osteoporosis right from childhood. “One of the best things you can do for bone development and general health is exercise," says Pollock.