Word: vitamin
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...found two versions of a specific gene that are associated with varying bone density. One type, which they dubbed "b," is linked with stronger skeletons, and the other, labeled "B," with weaker ones. The gene itself directs construction of receptors (docking sites within the cell) for a form of vitamin D that plays a crucial role in bone formation. Once vitamin D locks in, the receptors act as a sort of control tower, switching on and off other genes that regulate calcium absorption and the constant renewal of bone...
According to the new research, the risk of osteoporosis depends heavily on which versions of the vitamin D receptor gene an individual inherits. Since each parent contributes a copy, a person's genetic endowment can be bb, Bb or BB. The most severe threat occurs, says molecular biologist Nigel Morrison, of the Australian team, "when you inherit a double whammy of the low-bone- density form of the gene. Then you're at risk of having osteoporosis...
...findings are likely to be a mixed blessing. A screening test could identify people at high risk of osteoporosis even at birth. That knowledge would provide relief for some parents and their offspring -- and certain worry for others. But researchers stress that having the B form of the vitamin D receptor gene does not doom people to a severe case of the disease...
...later bone erosion, children identified as vulnerable to osteoporosis will be urged to build up their bone density by increasing their calcium intake and exercising with weights. Those at high risk will also be strongly advised to shun cigarettes and alcohol, which speed up bone loss, and perhaps take vitamin D supplements and estrogen- replacement pills after menopause. Eventually, researchers hope to develop new drugs that stimulate bone formation. "The whole business of genetic testing is clouded by things we can't control," observes Morrison. "What's good is that, here, we can do something about the threat...
Recently, however, the scientists seem to have gone mad. Hardly a week goes by without some expert somewhere issuing a new report declaring that a particular food or vitamin or activity or condition will either restore your cardiovascular health or ruin it--and as often as not, the new advice seems to contradict the old. Among the new findings...