Fat tissue in bone marrow may lower the risk of heart disease, diabetes

Bone marrow fat tissue has long been associated with poor health effects like most reduced bone mass and increased risks of fractures as well as osteoporosis. But now, scientists have now found that it might not be true. Bone marrow is a significant source of the hormone adiponectin that is linked to maintain insulin sensitivity, break down fat and even reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes and cancers associated with obesity.

Bone marrow fat tissue - which increases as body weight falls - is a previously unrecognised source of adiponectin during calorie restriction, the findings showed. 'These findings are significant because we have found that bone marrow adipose tissue may have positive, protective roles, and influence adaptive functions outside of the bone tissue, at least during calorie restriction,' said Ormond MacDougald, professor at University of Michigan in the US.

The new study includes people with anorexia, patients undergoing chemotherapy, rabbits and mice. 'We know that low adiponectin has been correlated with multiple health problems and our findings suggest that an important source of this protein, and potentially others that we have not identified yet, is the fat tissue inside bone marrow,' said Erica Scheller, postdoctoral fellow at University of Michigan. People with obesity have the lowest levels of adiponectin - potentially increasing their risk for developing such diseases while the leaner someone gets, the more adiponectin they have. The study appeared online in the journal Cell Metabolism.

Source: IANS

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