Do Bones Help Control Metabolism and Weight?

**Bones** are typically thought of as calcified, inert structures, but researchers at **Columbia University Medical Center** have now identified a surprising and critically important novel function of the **skeleton**. They’ve 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 research, published in the August 10 issue of Cell, demonstrates that bone cells release a hormone called **osteocalcin**, which controls the regulation of **blood sugar** (glucose) and **fat deposition** through synergistic mechanisms previously not recognized. Usually, an increase in insulin secretion is accompanied by a decrease in insulin sensitivity. **Osteocalcin**, however, increases both the secretion and sensitivity of insulin, in addition to boosting the number of insulin-producing cells and reducing stores of fat.... Whole article on "Columbia University":[ http://www.cumc.columbia.edu/news/press_releases/karsenty_cell_osteocalcin_endocrine.html]

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