Tuesday, May 04, 2010

Calcium Essential to Early Bone Health

Calcium nutrition of the neonate may be of greater importance to life-long bone health due to its programming effects on mesenchymal stem cells, according to new research presented at the Experimental Biology 2010 meeting on April 25.

As reported by Newswise, researchers bottle-fed 12 piglets a calcium-rich diet and another 12 piglets a calcium-deficient diet during the first 18 days of life. Throughout the study, blood samples were drawn frequently from the piglets, and they were weighed daily. At the end of the study, the researchers collected samples from the animals’ bone marrow, livers, kidneys and small intestines. They also tested their hind legs for bone density and strength.

Results revealed no differences between groups in terms of blood markers of calcium status and growth. These data support the previously suggested concept that, unlike what happens in adults, calcium absorption in newborns is not dependent on vitamin D. They also documented marked differences in bone density and strength such that the calcium-deficient piglets were compromised. When they looked at the bone marrow tissue which contains mesenchymal stem cells that eventually become bone-forming cells, they discovered that many of the calcium-deficient piglets’ cells appeared to have already been programmed to become fat cells instead of bone-forming osteoblast cells. Fewer osteoblasts in early life may translate to a diminished ability for bones to grow and repair themselves throughout the remainder of life. Thus, it appeared as if calcium deficiency had predisposed the animals to having bones that contained more fat and less mineral.

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