According to a report in the Archives of Internal Medicine published on September 22, dieting with calorie restriction does not cause significant bone loss in young, overweight adults, provided adequate amounts of calcium and other nutrients are maintained. “Our data do not support the notion that extreme weight loss (more than 10%) over short periods (3 months) has a worse prognosis on bone health than gradual weight loss achieved over 6 months by moderate calorie restriction with or without aerobic exercise,” Dr. Leanne M. Redman, from Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and colleagues conclude.
Scientific research conducted by team from Imperial College London and published in the journal Nature Materials indicated that not all cells are equal when it comes to rebuilding bones. The research showed that choosing the osteoblast bone cells from the skull and bone marrow stem cells produced tissue with the hallmarks of “native” bone, including the all-important stiffness. The discovery has important implications for scientists who are attempting to grow implantable bone material to carry out large-scale reconstruction of bone lost as a result of injury or disease.
An osteoporosis drug proven to save lives after hip fractures may do so by strengthening the body’s immune system, according to geriatrics researchers at Duke University Medical Center. In 2007, Duke researchers reported a 28% reduction in death among patients who received zoledronic acid (Reclast) within 90 days of surgery for a hip fracture. Zoledronic acid is a yearly intravenous injection of bisphosphonate that inhibits the progression of bone loss. The researchers also reported that the 2,111 people who participated in the study were 35% less likely to suffer another fracture.
According to osteoporosis research published in the PLoS One journal, low-dose aspirin can decrease the activity of cells that breakdown bone, while increasing the activity of cell that build up bone. Recent evidence also suggests a role of a decline in bone-forming cells in osteoporosis, Dr. Songtao Shi from University of Southern California School of Dentistry noted.
The study published in the Nature Genetics journal found that a single-letter variation (SNP) in the gene that encodes a protein, called claudin 14, increases the risk of bone loss and kidney stones by boosting the excretion of calcium in urine. According to the researchers, the 60% percent of humans carrying two copies of this SNP on chromosome 21 have a 65% higher risk of developing kidney stones than those with no copies of the SNP. The CEO of deCODE Genetics, Kari Stefansson, said that the variant could be used as a therapeutic target for osteoporosis and kidney stones.
