Lifespan boosted by unexpected form of bone manipulation

Lifespan boosted by unexpected form of bone manipulation

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November 05, 2026

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Lifespan boosted by unexpected form of bone manipulation

Putting some pressure on your bones could add years to your life.

(Africa images/Canva)

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Your skeleton has a demanding day job, pumping outfresh new blood cellsand serving as amineral bank for calcium, not to mention keeping your head up and preventing your organs from collapsing into a disappointing puddle.

Now we’ve learned they may also moonlight as a chemical factory that allows you to grow old gracefully.

Arecently published studysuggests that bones release proteins that protect other tissues when squeezed, offering a fresh explanation for exercise’s benefits as we age.

This isn't quite the torture technique it sounds like. A few leg curls each week may be all that's needed to give us similar benefits.

Researchers in China found that repeatedly applying gentle pressure to the shinbones of elderly mice improved their strength, coordination, and performance on memory tests. It also extended their median lifespan by an average of 9.4%, or around 80 days.

Led by scientists at Southern Medical University in Guangzhou, the team investigated a kind of bone cell that detects mechanical forces, known asosteocytes. These cells use a commonpressure-sensitive channel called PIEZO1to help bones adapt to physical exertion.

The researchers found that PIEZO1 levels declined over time in both mouse and human bone. Chemically destroying the channel in adult mouse osteocytes accelerated signs of aging far beyond the skeleton, affecting the brain, liver, and muscles. Median lifespan fell by roughly 11% in females and 13% in males.

That raised an intriguing question: could frequent pressure on the skeleton – via a workout, for example – help manage signs of aging?

To find out, the researchers used a device to rhythmically apply a tiny load to the shinbones of anaesthetized mice, starting when the animals were a relatively old 20 months.

Not only did the test animals live longer, but treated mice also showed improvements in blood sugar regulation and bone structure, with reduced markers of inflammation and senescence in several organs. The treatment also returned the aging immune system to a more youthful state, including changes to the marrow’s blood-producing tissues.

Transferring plasma from treated mice to other old mice delivered benefits, suggesting something circulating in the blood was responsible for the improvement.

One promising messenger waspigment epithelium-derived factor, or PEDF, a protein with protective effects in multiple tissues. Bone loading boosted its circulating levels, while injections of the protein reduced several signs of aging and improved cognitive and physical performance in older mice.

Bones, it seems, have more to contribute to a workout than the occasional ominous clicking noise.

The findings complementresearch I coveredearlier this year on tiny implants consisting of self-contracting muscle tissue. Those grafts improved metabolism, bone density, and other measures of health in mice, highlighting the role muscles play in producing chemical signals that benefit our health. Together, the studies suggest the machinery that moves us also helps maintain us. Understanding their signals could eventually help people whose illness or limited mobility makes exercise difficult.

There are, naturally, a few bones to pick before declaring victory over aging. The new study did not test whether bone loading extends human life, let alone by an entire decade. We do tend to have asignificant drop in PEDFin our blood as we grow older, and the protein does seem to protect laboratory-grown human cartilage from experimentally induced damage. This isn’t to claim that a PEDF-boost keeps people younger, at least not without a lot more research.

The researchers also acknowledge that they haven’t established whether PEDF is essential to the loading treatment’s effects. Other proteins, immune changes, and signaling pathways could be responsible as well.

Nor does a twice-weekly shinbone squeeze reproduce everything a walk, swim, or strength session does for a human body.

Nonetheless, the findings contribute solid evidence in support of staying active as your birthdays pile up. Your muscles may get the applause, but the old bones may deserve more than a bit of the credit.

The research was published inCell Metabolism.

Source:Science Magazine

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Mike is a highly respected science journalist, having written and edited news on innovation, discovery, and technology for more than 20 years. He is also a published author with the University of Queensland Press (T

and

), and has worked extensively teaching science and producing educational resources.

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