Your bones and overweight: osteocalcin

Mathieu Ferron, a researcher at the Montreal Clinical Research Institute (IRCM) and professor at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Montreal, has spent the last decade studying a hormone called osteocalcin. Something that not many people know is that your skeleton is much more than the structure that supports your muscles and other tissues. It also produces hormones. Osteocalcin affects the way we metabolize sugar and fat. “One of the functions of osteocalcin is to increase insulin production, which in turn reduces blood glucose levels,” Ferron explained. “It can also protect us from obesity by increasing energy expenditure.” Studies have shown that, for some people, changes in blood levels of osteocalcin may even help prevent diabetes. “When produced in osteoblasts, osteocalcin is inactive,” Ferron said. Inactive osteocalcin has one more piece than active osteocalcin. The researchers examined the different enzymes present in the cells where osteocalcin was produced, which could be responsible for cutting the piece in question, in a group of mice. Ferron’s team managed to identify her, she is the Furina. Furin causes osteocalcin to be activated and the hormone is released into the blood. “We showed that when there was no furin in bone cells, inactive osteocalcin accumulated and was still released. But this led to an increase in blood glucose levels. And a reduction in energy expenditure and insulin production.” Ferron said. Removing Furin also had an unexpected effect: it reduced the mice’s appetite. “We are confident that the absence of furin was the cause,” Ferron said. In fact, his team showed that osteocalcin by itself has no effect on appetite. “Our results suggest the existence of a new bone hormone that controls food intake,” Ferron said. While research continues, it is important to share new research with our patients. This way we raise awareness about how they can take better care of themselves.