Body fat and balance were linked in children, but results varied
A review found a mostly unfavorable association between adiposity and balance in young people, with a clearer pattern during challenging assessments.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
Higher adiposity was more often associated with poorer performance on instrumented balance tests, especially under challenging test conditions. The overall picture was mixed, with some studies reporting unclear links or better postural control. These associations do not show that body fat caused balance difficulties or that changing weight would improve balance.
Methods varied across studies, and the abstract does not provide pooled effect sizes or testing details. That limits judgments about the magnitude or everyday relevance of the differences.
What researchers found
Higher adiposity associated with poorer postural control
Across adiposity levels in instrumented assessments; observation periods were not reported. This is a study count, not a pooled effect size.
A mixed pattern
The evidence was not uniform: 13 studies reported no clear association, while 9 linked higher adiposity with better postural control. Study counts describe the pattern of findings without showing the size of a balance difference.
Test conditions mattered
The review focused on otherwise healthy young people and used instrument-based measures of postural control. More demanding assessments showed a more consistent pattern of poorer control among participants in higher weight categories.
The original publication
The relationship between postural control by instrumented assessment and adiposity in children and adolescents: a systematic review.
Wilde JH, Arnold JB, Banwell HA et al.
Int J Obes (Lond) · 2026
- PubMed ID
- 41258238
- Record checked
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