Osteoporosis, and its precursor condition osteopenia, affects millions of people all over the world. Your bones are constantly breaking down and rebuilding themselves, but after roughly the age of 30, you tend to lose more mass than you can build up, which can result in osteoporosis – a weakening of the bones that greatly increases your risk of fractures.
The reason it affects so many people is that it has so many risk factors; getting older increases your risk of osteoporosis, and menopausal women are more at risk of the condition because they have less oestrogen than they once did, which is a major factor in bone density. Also, if you have a deficiency in vitamin D or calcium, don’t take part in enough weight-bearing activities and sports like running and tennis, smoke, drink excessively, have an eating disorder, or have a greater risk in your genes – either from your ethnicity or your family history – you’re more at risk of developing osteoporosis.
Therefore, it’s needless to say that this discovery by British scientists could improve the wellbeing of many people. The artificial bone, made from a lightweight plastic could ease the pain of osteoporosis. The scientists, who are based at both the University of Edinburgh and the University of Southampton, tested hundreds of different plastic combinations before arriving at this usable type, and the results of their study are published in the journal Advanced Functional Materials.
So what’s so great about this plastic? The material, which allows blood to flow through it, allows the stem cells from your own bone marrow to attach and grow new, real bone. Eventually, the plastic degrades, and is replaced by the new bone. Besides the elderly, and those who suffer with the brittle bone disease, the invention could help in the treatment of accident victims. According to Professor Mark Bradley, of the University of Edinburgh, ‘This material could soon be helping to improve the quality of life for patients with severe bone injuries and will help an ageing population.’