Hormone linked to osteoporosis

Baylor College of Medicine researchers in Houston, Texas, have found that a hormone prevents bone loss in the human body.

Baylor College of Medicine researchers in Houston, Texas, have found that a hormone prevents bone loss in the human body. Osteoporosis, caused by loss of mineral density in bones, makes bones weaker and more prone to fracture, especially in post-menopausal women. But the condition it also can affect people with Type 1 diabetes. The BBC said the study found those who lack the hormone amylin, which is secreted by the same cells that produce insulin in the pancreas and whose failure leads to diabetes, have less bone mass than those who produce the hormone. Bones stay strong only through a constant recycling by cells called oseoclasts, which chew up bone and the old bone is replaced with new mineral deposits. Researchers said that delicate balance between breakdown and renewal of bone can be disturbed by the body’s immune system attacking the pancreatic cells that produce both insulin and amylin. Lead researcher Gerard Karsenty said if scientists could find a way to replace amylin it could provide a way to prevent diabetes-related osteoporosis and possibly other forms of the condition as well. The study was published in the Journal of Cell Biology. (Source: Medline Plus, United Press, Journal of Cell Biology, Feb 2004)