osteoporosis

Osteoporosis Update: Hibernating black bears may have answers
According to the National Institute of Health and more than 10 million adults suffer from osteoporosis with another 18 million people that have developed low bone density, putting them at risk for the disease. However, a study by Researchers at Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and Michigan Technological University, show that wild, hibernating black bears made shed some light on the subject.

Humans, when confronted with disease or injury that requires long term bed rest, experience rapid bone loss which may not be completely recoverable. This often leads to long-term bone weakness and an increased likelihood of fractures. Black bears seem to have an advantage.

"With this study, our goal was to determine how bears recover from five to seven months of hibernation each year, which can cause them significant bone loss due to disuse,” said Henry J. Donahue, Ph.D., professor of orthopedics and rehabilitation, ...