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If your blood glucose is out of whack, the problem may be in your bones. New research in mice shows that bone cells exert a surprising influence on how the body regulates sugar, energy, and fat. A bone-cell protein called osteocalcin influences energy metabolism through its effects on pancreatic and fat cells.

Boning up. Mice with high osteocalcin levels (left) made far more insulin (pink) than regular mice.Credit: Hideaki Sowa, Karsenty Research Group, Columbia University Give your skeletal system some credit. Not only do your bones keep you upright, they produce red and white blood cells, store minerals, and help control pH. But that's not all: According to a new study, bones secrete a protein called osteocalcin that regulates sugar and fat absorption. The finding qualifies osteocalcin as a hormone, meaning the skeleton can now add being an endocrine organ to its impressive list of accomplishments. There have already been hints that...