Breastfeeding should take a toll on bones. A brain hormone may protect them
New findings in mice could one day lead to treatments for osteoporosis
By Claire Yuan
Birthing and caring for a newborn can be hard on a mother’s bones. Estrogen, which helps regulate bone growth, drops precipitously after birth, and lactation saps the skeleton of calcium. Yet nursing moms somehow maintain strong, dense bones. A hormone released from the brain may be the reason why, a study in mice suggests.
When estrogen levels drop after birth, the hormone CCN3 may take the role of boosting bone stem cell activity, leading to increased tissue production, researchers report July 10 in Nature. This molecule originates in the hypothalamus, a brain structure that helps regulate appetite and body temperature. Besides possibly solving the mystery of nursing mothers’ strong bones, the finding could also point to a way to better heal fractures and fight bone loss in old age.