Researchers have identified a mechanism that leads to bone loss in older adults, an advance that may help develop therapeutics to treat the age-associated bone loss condition.
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According to Study:
- Osteoporosis,the thinning of bone and the loss of bone density that increases the risk of fractures is a major health problem in older people.
- Often the condition is accompanied by an increase in fat cells in the bone marrow.
- The study found a protein called Cbf-beta which plays a critical role in maintaining the bone-producing cells.
- Furthermore, the examination of aged mice.
- Showed dramatically reduced levels of Cbf-beta in bone marrow cells as compared to younger mice.
- The findings showed when this mechanism malfunctions, progenitor cells stop creating bone-producing cells and instead create fat cells.
- Thus, maintaining this Cbf-beta may be essential to prevent human age-associated osteoporosis that is due to elevated creation of fat cells.
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Results:
- Knowledge of this mechanism can provide targets in the search for novel bone-loss therapeutics.
- To treat human osteoporosis with minimal side effects, the researchers noted.