Building Bone while Making Milk

This article explores how lactation affects maternal bone loss and recovery. During breastfeeding, calcium demands lead to bone resorption via upregulated PTHrP and RANKL pathways. A recent study by Babey et al. reveals that kisspeptin expressing neurons in the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus secrete CCN3, a potent bone building hormone, during lactation. CCN3 stimulates osteogenic stem cells and enhances bone mass, providing insight into skeletal recovery post lactation. The discovery opens avenues for understanding and treating conditions like lactation-induced osteoporosis, delayed puberty related bone fragility, and other female bone health disorders.

This article explores how lactation affects maternal bone loss and recovery. During breastfeeding, calcium demands lead to bone resorption via upregulated PTHrP and RANKL pathways. A recent study by Babey et al. reveals that kisspeptin expressing neurons in the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus secrete CCN3, a potent bone building hormone, during lactation. CCN3 stimulates osteogenic stem cells and enhances bone mass, providing insight into skeletal recovery post lactation. The discovery opens avenues for understanding and treating conditions like lactation-induced osteoporosis, delayed puberty related bone fragility, and other female bone health disorders.