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When Wolff's law isn't enough: training students to consider soft tissues in promoting skeletal health
Author(s) -
Hamrick Mark
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.2019.33.1_supplement.80.1
Subject(s) - sarcopenia , osteopenia , medicine , lean body mass , baby boomers , osteoporosis , skeletal muscle , bone health , anabolism , muscle atrophy , context (archaeology) , atrophy , adipose tissue , physiology , population , strength training , gerontology , bone mineral , biology , body weight , paleontology , environmental health , economics , demographic economics
The physiology of various organ systems has revealed extensive crosstalk among tissues such as adipose tissue, skeletal muscle, and bone. These findings have important implications for skeletal biology, particularly within the context of improving bone health during growth and with aging. The latter is especially significant for students in the health sciences, since the population over the age of 65 is the most rapidly growing demographic globally and in the United States. Mechanical loads emanating from body weight and muscle contraction are important for bone mass accrual early in life, but the response of bone to mechanical stimuli is markedly attenuated in adults. Though increased loading magnitude and frequency may have less dramatic anabolic effects on the adult skeleton than on young bones, inactivity and muscle disuse atrophy can contribute significantly to age‐related bone loss. This point is reinforced by data from clinical studies showing that older adults with low appendicular lean mass and reduced grip strength also have reduced cortical bone area and thickness. The highly integrated changes in skeletal muscle and bone observed in aging patient populations suggest that targeting either sarcopenia or osteoporosis alone may not be sufficient for effective fracture prevention. Thus, new strategies for improving both tissues simultaneously to prevent “osteosarcopenia” have been proposed. These recent advances underscore the importance of considering soft‐tissues for maintaining bone health and preventing falls and bone fractures. Support or Funding Information National Institute on Aging (AG 036675) This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2019 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal .