In healthy people, a tightly controlled process balances out the activity of osteoblasts, which build bone, and osteoclasts, which break it down. Damage to cells’ mitochondria can make that process go awry, according to research led by University of Pennsylvania researchers. The findings shed light on how exposure to cigarette smoke, alcohol, and certain medications and environmental toxins can raise the risk of osteoporosis.
Source: EurekaAlert, https://www.eurekalert.org