One of the most dramatic discoveries in recent times is the direct linking of bone to the natural regulation of blood sugar in your body. This new science demonstrates that bones are actually an endocrine organ.

It has been found that osteoblasts secrete a protein called osteocalcin that is not only involved in the formation of bone density but acts as a hormone, communicating to stored fat and increasing the production of adiponectin, a vital hormone that enables your liver to correctly process insulin. At the same time, osteocalcin talks to your pancreas and helps it make insulin in the first place, so that you have improved ability to transport sugar to places it needs to go. Previously, it was thought that osteocalcin acted only locally within bone, to help bone building.

Another angle of this new research shows that extra osteoclasts make an enzyme called tartrate resistant acid phosphatase or TRAP. Researchers bred a strain of mice to generate excessive TRAP so they could study exactly what it did to bones – and much to their surprise it made the mice fat! Further investigation found that TRAP levels are higher in overweight people and TRAP is needed to expand your fat cell population.

This information opens up a whole new understanding of the importance of bone health, in particular maintaining the healthy balance between osteoblast and osteoclast activity. We have known for a while that we need a proper balance of osteoblasts and osteoclasts for bone rejuvenation and bone strength. Now we can see we also need this balance for healthy metabolism.

Bone health leads to better metabolism, whereas weaker bones create more risk for weight gain. Weight gain, in turn, interferes with bone health. Resistance exercise that stimulates bones, thus stimulating osteoblasts and osteocalcin formation, can now be seen as a link to improved metabolic health for reasons never before understood.

Additionally, nutrients that help manage leptin more efficiently will be of synergistic benefit. Many of these nutrients, like DHA, are already known to benefit bones directly. Nutrients that help boost adiponectin are synergistic with the role of osteocalcin stimulating adiponectin. This includes vitamin D, DHA, magnesium, zinc, quercetin, curcumin, colostrum, grape seed extract, resveratrol, and mangosteen.*

Interestingly, many of these same nutrients have also been shown to support healthy osteoblast and osteoblast balance, lending to the theory that they may boost adiponectin production by assisting osteocalcin production (something that hasn’t been demonstrated yet because nobody has thought to look at the connection).*

The bottom line message is that anything you can do to improve your metabolism is likely to improve your bone health and anything you do to improve your bone health is likely to improve your metabolism. This gives you many new angles to help ensure you have healthy and strong bones.*