Basic Bone Knowledge
Bones: Their Role and How they Work

The 5 important roles of bones in maintaining our health

Are you thinking about your bones?

While people make a habit to care for and exercise their muscles, our bones are deep inside our bodies and normally go unseen. Perhaps this is why many people go about their daily lives only thinking of their bones as the structure that supports their body.
However, our bones play several critical roles much more important than what you might be thinking.

Act as the fulcrum for our movements

We are able to move our legs and bend our arms because bones and muscles are connected, with joints serving as the fulcrum.

Protect the organs

Organs are highly vulnerable to physical shock. This is why the skull protects the brain, the rib cage protects the lungs and heart, and the spine protects the spinal nerves. Our hard bones work to protect critical organs.

Produce blood (blood cells)

At the center of our bones is the marrow, which contains the hematopoietic stem cells that serve as the building blocks for our blood. This is where our red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets are formed. Bones are what enable the creation of our blood.

Store calcium

Bones serve as warehouses for calcium. 99% of calcium in our bodiless goes to bones, while the remaining 1% exist in the blood. If blood calcium levels drop too low, calcium is supplied from our bones.

Our bones have a metabolic cycle

Did you know that your bones have a metabolic cycle?
Our bones are not the same bones that grew larger since we were born with. Our bones are alive, and everyone’s bones are newly regenerated in roughly a three-year cycle. Let’s look at what makes up our bones and how our bones work to understand how this regeneration process occurs.

The composition of bones

Bones are made up of calcium and collagen, which is a type of protein. Collagen acts as the foundation that gives our bones flexibility. Calcium and other minerals adhere to the collagen to give bones strength.

Two reasons why bones have a metabolic cycle

Supplying calcium

The first reason is because bones supply calcium, a critical nutrient for sustaining human life, to all the organs in our body. When calcium is insufficient, it is dissolved from bones. When it is plentiful, our bodies store these in the bones. Our bones are regenerated through the repetition of this cycle.

Rejuvenating our bones

The second reason is to rejuvenate our old bones.
Even strong bones get old and lose their elasticity, which causes them to become brittle. Bones are regenerated to maintain their flexible strength.

How the metabolic cycle of bones works

Bones are ruled by cells that break down bone and cells that create bone.
Cells that break down bone are called osteoclasts while bones that create bone are called osteoblasts. Bones are regenerated through the work of these two types of cells.

First, osteoclasts break down old bone with acids and enzymes (bone resorption). Next, osteoblasts produce collagen, to which calcium absorbed in the intestine attaches to form new bone (bone formation). This cycle is repeated over a period of around three years, and bone is recreated every day even for adults.

What we can do for our bone health

Starting bone care in the growth period is important for our bone health

Because declining bone density and fractures are common themes among the elderly, many people think that bone health is a problem for the elderly. However, that is not true at all. Bone health during our growth period greatly influences the overall bone mass throughout our lifetime. Childbirth and some lifestyle habits can be a risk factor of bone mass reduction even for the youth.

Bone growth period

Bone development during the bone growth period forms the foundation of your bones for the rest of your life.
Research suggests that a person’s bone mass is highest at age 20 in males and at age 18 in females. This indicates that increasing peak bone mass during this bone growth period is the key to maintaining future bone health.

Bone maturation period

Around age 30 is when our bodies fully develop.
This is when bone mass is also at its highest. However, unhealthy diets, unbalanced eating habits, and excessive stress in recent years are increasing the risk of bone mass decline.
Also, pregnancy and breastfeeding during this period can cause a temporary decline in bone density, meaning that proactive bone care is critical.

Bone degeneration period

From our 40s, bone mass begins to decline gradually, and women in particular see a significant decline from their 50s onward. This is because, compared to men, women have a smaller skeletal structure, meaning less bone mass can be accumulated in the body. Furthermore, the decline in female hormones following menopause causes increased activity in osteoclasts, which work to degrade bone.

Keep bones healthy starting from your daily lifestyle!

Calcium intake is critical for maintaining and strengthening bone health.
Calcium is a difficult nutrition to absorb, and majority of what we consume leaves the body. First we should proactively take calcium through our diet. Then we should take measures, such as sunbathing, eating a balanced diet, and exercising appropriately, to improve our calcium absorption and adhesion.

Let us enjoy and actively live through the 100-year age by keeping our bone health through our daily lifestyle!