When it comes to childbirth and caring for a newborn, a mother’s bones undergo significant challenges. The drop in estrogen levels post-birth, coupled with calcium depletion during lactation, can weaken bones. Surprisingly, nursing mothers manage to maintain strong and dense bones, thanks to a hormone released from the brain, as suggested by a study in mice.
The study reveals an unexpected connection between the hypothalamus and bone health, according to Sundeep Khosla, a bone expert at the Mayo Clinic. The research focused on understanding why female mice with blocked estrogen receptors in the hypothalamus exhibited remarkably high bone density. These mutant mice showed a significant increase in bone stem cells compared to normal mice, as explained by stem cell biologist Thomas Ambrosi from the University of California, Davis.
Since the hypothalamus also influences appetite, the study explored the impact of diet on bone density and hormone production. An interesting finding was that mutant mice on a high-fat diet returned to normal bone density levels. By analyzing the decrease in bone-strengthening factors in these mice, the researchers narrowed down potential candidates to a select few, as highlighted by Muriel Babey, an endocrinologist at the University of California, San Francisco.
2024-07-10 10:50:45
Originally published on www.sciencenews.org