Findings of a new study that links kids’ risk of diabetes with an increased risk of weak bones may give many parents a wake-up call to get their kids exercising. Researchers from the Medical College of Georgia report that overweight children at risk for developing type 2 diabetes before puberty may also have an increased risk for weak bones.

Scientists studied 140 overweight children between the ages of 7 and 11 who got little regular exercise for the study appearing in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research. They found that the 30 percent with signs of poor blood sugar regulation had 4 to 5 percent less bone mass than those with regular blood sugar regulation.

"This finding provides the first clue linking childhood obesity to skeletal fractures," said lead researcher Norman Pollock, Ph.D.

The study found that higher amounts of visceral fat (around the abdominal area) were associated with lower bone mass while more body fat overall was associated with higher bone mass.

"Taken together, it seems that excessive abdominal fat may play a key role linking pre-diabetes to lower bone mass," Pollock said.

Researchers say increased physical activity may provide an all-natural remedy for both the threat of diabetes and weaker bones.