Dem Dry Bones & Diabetes

Research reveals another clue as to why some of us are fat and others not…

[Scientists have] shown for the first time that the skeleton is an endocrine organ that helps control our sugar metabolism and weight and, as such, is a major determinant of the development of type 2 diabetes. (…) The researchers found that osteocalcin, a protein made only by bone-forming cells (osteoblasts), was not a mere structural protein, but rather a hormone with totally unanticipated and crucial functions.

[Research] showed that mice with high levels of osteocalcin activity were prevented from gaining weight or becoming diabetic even when they ate a high fat diet. Analysis of mice lacking the osteocalcin protein showed that they had type 2 diabetes, increased fat mass, a decrease in insulin and adiponectin expression, and decreased beta-cell proliferation.

– Medical News Today, 13 August 2007

This analysis would lead one to conclude that stress bearing excercise, which helps build bone mass, might also lead to higher levels of osteocalcin and thus better insulin regulation. Does this explain why regular exercise is a major part of good health?

Time to hit the weights.