Osteoporosis is not a disease, and
neither weight-bearing exercise
nor calcium supplements-not even
a combination of the two-is
capable of triggering the growth
of new bone, says Kenneth
McLeod, chair of the
bioengineering department at
Binghamton University and a
leading researcher in the field of
tissue development, healing and
adaptation.
But don't throw in the towel and
plan your wardrobe and life
around a dowagers' hump or
broken hip just yet. A new
approach that targets the
mechanism for bone loss offers
the most realistic hope of learning
to avoid or reverse the inarguably
devastating effects of bone loss.
A major public health threat
affecting more than 44 million
Americans, osteoporosis affects
women disproportionately. Eighty
percent of those with the
condition are women. Estimated
national expenditures for hospital
and nursing home care associated
with osteoporotic and related
fractures was $17 billion in 2001,
or $47 million a day.
Though osteoporosis is not age
dependent, 55 percent of the
population 50 years of age and
older have low bone mass and face
an increased risk of developing
osteoporosis and related
fractures, according to the
National Institutes of Health.
Characterized by low bone mass
and structural deterioration of
bone tissue, osteoporosis leads to
bone fragility and an increased
susceptibility to fractures of the
hip, spine, and wrist.
neither weight-bearing exercise
nor calcium supplements-not even
a combination of the two-is
capable of triggering the growth
of new bone, says Kenneth
McLeod, chair of the
bioengineering department at
Binghamton University and a
leading researcher in the field of
tissue development, healing and
adaptation.
But don't throw in the towel and
plan your wardrobe and life
around a dowagers' hump or
broken hip just yet. A new
approach that targets the
mechanism for bone loss offers
the most realistic hope of learning
to avoid or reverse the inarguably
devastating effects of bone loss.
A major public health threat
affecting more than 44 million
Americans, osteoporosis affects
women disproportionately. Eighty
percent of those with the
condition are women. Estimated
national expenditures for hospital
and nursing home care associated
with osteoporotic and related
fractures was $17 billion in 2001,
or $47 million a day.
Though osteoporosis is not age
dependent, 55 percent of the
population 50 years of age and
older have low bone mass and face
an increased risk of developing
osteoporosis and related
fractures, according to the
National Institutes of Health.
Characterized by low bone mass
and structural deterioration of
bone tissue, osteoporosis leads to
bone fragility and an increased
susceptibility to fractures of the
hip, spine, and wrist.
“What we need to know is what
has changed in the environment,
what is the mechanism for bone
loss?" McLeod says. "Just because
you take calcium doesn't mean
you're going to make bone.
Calcium is necessary but not
sufficient. There has to be a
signal to make bone, and it turns
out that if you don't have
adequate fluid flow across your
bone, you're not going to have
adequate cell metabolism to
trigger bone formation."
"Astronauts have a very serious
problem with osteoporosis. They
go up in space and there is no
signal to make bone, so they start
dumping bone. They have all sorts
of calcium in their blood, so
much so that they are likely to
form kidney stones, which are a
major problem for astronauts. So
clearly you can overdose on
calcium to the point where you
have kidney stones and still have
osteoporosis."
The only way to maintain bone
mass is to maintain adequate
fluid flow across your bone
tissue, which requires adequate
muscle activity, which affects
lymphatic flow and
cardiovascular activity, McLeod
said. But that doesn't mean that
weightlifting, jumping jacks,
running or long walks will help to
reverse osteoporosis by triggering
bone growth or even slowing its
deterioration, he said.
"It could well be that there are
certain exercise regimens that
will turn out to be very important
in managing osteoporosis."
has changed in the environment,
what is the mechanism for bone
loss?" McLeod says. "Just because
you take calcium doesn't mean
you're going to make bone.
Calcium is necessary but not
sufficient. There has to be a
signal to make bone, and it turns
out that if you don't have
adequate fluid flow across your
bone, you're not going to have
adequate cell metabolism to
trigger bone formation."
"Astronauts have a very serious
problem with osteoporosis. They
go up in space and there is no
signal to make bone, so they start
dumping bone. They have all sorts
of calcium in their blood, so
much so that they are likely to
form kidney stones, which are a
major problem for astronauts. So
clearly you can overdose on
calcium to the point where you
have kidney stones and still have
osteoporosis."
The only way to maintain bone
mass is to maintain adequate
fluid flow across your bone
tissue, which requires adequate
muscle activity, which affects
lymphatic flow and
cardiovascular activity, McLeod
said. But that doesn't mean that
weightlifting, jumping jacks,
running or long walks will help to
reverse osteoporosis by triggering
bone growth or even slowing its
deterioration, he said.
"It could well be that there are
certain exercise regimens that
will turn out to be very important
in managing osteoporosis."
Meanwhile, he said, “while
walking is good for you for many
other reasons, if you think you
are growing bone for your effort,
forget it. We are pretty
confident now that walking has
little influence on bone growth
in adults."
McLeod's research suggests that
a key to reversing bone loss and
triggering bone growth is training
up one type of human muscle
fiber, Type II A fibers. These
fibers, also called fast oxidative
fibers, contain many
mitochondria and are surrounded
by many blood capillaries. Type II
A fibers are pink, have a medium
contraction velocity
and are resistant to
fatigue as compared
to either the Type I
fiber which are red,
contract slowly, and
are highly resistant
to fatigue, or the more common
II B fibers, which are white, and
contract at high velocity but
fatigue quickly.
With the appropriate stimulus,
Type II B fibers, also called fast
twitch or fast glycolytic fibers,
can be trained into Type II A
muscles, McLeod said. Toward
that end, McLeod has developed
a device that sends low-level
vibrations into the body to
stimulate II A muscle fiber
development, enhance fluid flow
through the bones, and stimulate
bone growth. The device is in
clinical testing in advance of
seeking approval from the Food
and Drug Administration.
walking is good for you for many
other reasons, if you think you
are growing bone for your effort,
forget it. We are pretty
confident now that walking has
little influence on bone growth
in adults."
McLeod's research suggests that
a key to reversing bone loss and
triggering bone growth is training
up one type of human muscle
fiber, Type II A fibers. These
fibers, also called fast oxidative
fibers, contain many
mitochondria and are surrounded
by many blood capillaries. Type II
A fibers are pink, have a medium
contraction velocity
and are resistant to
fatigue as compared
to either the Type I
fiber which are red,
contract slowly, and
are highly resistant
to fatigue, or the more common
II B fibers, which are white, and
contract at high velocity but
fatigue quickly.
With the appropriate stimulus,
Type II B fibers, also called fast
twitch or fast glycolytic fibers,
can be trained into Type II A
muscles, McLeod said. Toward
that end, McLeod has developed
a device that sends low-level
vibrations into the body to
stimulate II A muscle fiber
development, enhance fluid flow
through the bones, and stimulate
bone growth. The device is in
clinical testing in advance of
seeking approval from the Food
and Drug Administration.
Boning up on bone loss: BU research fractures osteoporosis myths
Excerpted from Binghamton University Research News, Jan. 23, 2003
Excerpted from Binghamton University Research News, Jan. 23, 2003
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| "The only way to maintain bone mass is to maintain adequate fluid flow across your bone tissue, which requires adequate muscle activity, which affects lymphatic flow and cardiovascular activity." --Ken McLeod |