A recently identified molecule produced by skeletal muscle in response to exercise, has been shown to increase bone mass, according to a collaborative study. Although exercise is a well-known stimulus for new bone formation, it has remained unclear how muscle "talks" to bone, despite their close proximity. "This is a novel finding, and offers promise in the lab, and in the clinic," said co-lead study author Mone Zaidi, MD, PhD., Professor of Medicine and of Structural and Chemical Biology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and Director of the Mount Sinai Bone Program.
"It establishes for the first time a molecule released from muscle during exercise can act directly on long bones to increase their strength. These are the bones utilized during exercise, and also the ones most likely to break." In the experiment, young male mice, chosen because researchers could best see…
