Posted by My project covers the objective, “Explain how bone development is hormonally regulated.” I wanted to concentrate this project specifically on osteoporosis and in part how rural Alaska residents may be affected. The medium used was clay and the art made was of a healthy bone and a bone affected by osteoporosis.
Osteoporosis is a bone disease that develops when bone mineral density and bone mass decreases, or when the structure and strength of bone changes (NIH, 2023). Osteoporosis causes weak and fragile bones which can be easily fractured. The research I studied stated that osteoporosis is caused by aging, hormones, diet, lifestyle, and among a few more factors. One of the most important and prevalent factors of osteoporosis is lifestyle/diet and hormones. Aging is just a given since bone reabsorption begins to increase after the age of 50. Bone mass density is promoted through hormones that help the production of bone mass like growth hormone and estrogen. Osteoblasts are bone cells that help build bone mass while osteoclasts reabsorb broken down bone. Osteocytes are bone cells that help maintain bone mass. When estrogen is released it will promote osteoblastic activity and the production of the bone matrix. When estrogen is no longer released like it does in postmenopausal women, then osteoblast activity is inhibited and osteoclasts will start to activate. That is why women suffer from osteoporosis more than men (NIH, 2023). Low blood calcium levels will trigger the release of parathyroid hormone (PTH) which will trigger osteoclast activity that takes away dead bone cells and reduces bone density (Ponnapakkam et al., 2014).
Lifestyle and diet are a great contributor to possible osteoporosis. Low-impact exercise and a more passive lifestyle, A diet with low levels of calcium consumption, and living in a sunshine poor region can all lead to low calcium levels. As stated before, low blood calcium triggers PTH (PTH triggers osteoclast activity). These are all possible factors in Alaska, especially rural Alaska. Low levels of calcium and vitamin D have been found in native Alaskan women and men in studies among Native Alaskans and Navajo Native Americans(Frech et al., 2012). My research was more based on rural villages of Alaska where sunshine (vitamin D) and calcium through diet is limited. Through my own experiences residing in one of these rural villages in the Northwest Arctic Borough region. I have personally experienced the lack of fresh produce and many months of absent sunshine. Culturally, the Alaska native diet does not include much dairy to make-up for vitamin D. In the previously mentioned study there were very low levels of calcium intake which caused higher levels of fractures and more specifically hip/femur fractures (Frech et al., 2012). “The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services reports national rates of osteoporosis at 13-18% of women and 3-6% of men over age 50, but current evidence suggests that osteoporosis rates in Alaska are more equal between sexes… Alaskans over 50 years of age were significantly more likely to have osteopenia or osteoporosis.” (Guess, 2018). This is why Guess and their team has promoted and taken action to share information and raise awareness at state fairs and share articles online about vitamin D deficiency in Alaska and how that raises risk of osteoporosis.