Exercise can forestall osteoporosis

	Tweet

The stage for osteoporosis is set well before menopause—but exercise can help rewrite the script, according to Medical College of Georgia researchers.

Declining estrogen levels have long been associated with osteoporosis, but bone density starts to decline years before these levels drop, according to Dr. Joseph Cannon, Kellet Chair in Allied Health Sciences and principal investigator of the National Institute of Aging-funded study. It’s during that time that levels of follicle-stimulating hormone, released by the pituitary gland to help regulate ovarian function, actually increase.

Cannon theorizes that higher levels of FSH decrease bone mineral density by increasing cytokines, regulatory proteins produced by white blood cells. One cytokine in particular, interleukin-1, signals certain cells to transform into osteoclasts, which break down and resorb bone. “We hypothesize that the higher levels of FSH decrease bone mineral density by influencing the production of cytokines,” said Cannon, who presents his team’s research at the American Physiological Society’s Experimental Biology 2010 conference in Anaheim, Calif. April 24-28.

After measuring FSH and bone mineral density in 36 women between the ages of 20 to 50, the researchers correlated higher FSH levels with lower bone mineral density. When they incubated FSH with white blood cells isolated from the women, it stimulated production of interleukin-1.  Moreover, higher circulating levels of IL-1 correlated with lower bone mineral density, if the levels of interleukin-1 inhibitory factors were taken into account.

Additionally, they found that study participants who exercised more than 180 minutes a week retained greater bone density.

“Our work provides more evidence that physical activity is important for maintaining bone density. It’s a case of ’use it or lose it,’” Cannon said, citing his team’s findings that exercise seemed to promote inhibitory factors that help keep interleukin-1 and bone breakdown under control.

The team’s next step is to determine how exercise influences the expression of interleukin-1 inhibitory factors.

Team members include Dr. Miriam Cortez-Cooper, assistant professor of physical therapy; Eric Meaders, assistant professor of biomedical and radiological technologies; Judith Stallings, assistant professor of physician assistant; Sara Haddow, assistant professor of physician assistant; Barbara Kraj, assistant professor of biomedical and radiological technologies; Gloria Sloan, research associate; and Dr. Anthony Mulloy, section chief of endocrinology and nutrition.

---
Toni Baker
706-721-4421
Schools of Graduate Studies and Medicine

Jennifer Hilliard
706-721-8604
Schools of Graduate Studies and Medicine

Paula Hinely
706-721-3646
Schools of Allied Health Sciences, Dentistry and Nursing

RELATED STORIES:
Pill Among Least Effective Birth Control Methods   70 percent of women use contraceptives during their first sexual encounter   Long-term contraception more effective than pills   Gay couples and women over 40 to get free IVF treatment on NHS   Health secretary urges contraception compromise   Contraceptive ring, patch carry blood clot risks   Reminder Stamp Boosts HPV Vaccination   Study adds to evidence on clot risks of non-oral contraceptives   HPV vaccine completion rate among girls is poor, getting worse   Some ob-gyns cite religious conflicts over care   After IVF, some couples get pregnant without help   Web Tool Offers Map to Menopause   Early Menopause Could Also Mean Early Death   Does soy help cool hot flashes after all?   Caffeine not tied to worsening urinary incontinence

Comments

[ + Post Your Own ]

Now you're in the public comment zone. What follows is not Armenian Medical Network's stuff; it comes from other people and we don't vouch for it. A reminder: By using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms of Service. Click here to read the Rules of Engagement.

There are no comments for this entry yet. [ + Comment here + ]