Osteoporosis: Fat-secreted protein guards against bone loss in mice An anti-inflammatory molecule produced by fat tissue helps protect against bone loss in mouse model of osteoporosis. Researchers from China’s Central South University in Changsha, led by Hui Xie, examined whether omentin-1, a protein secreted by fat tissue recently implicated in the development of obesity and diabetes, might play a role in osteoporosis as well. In mice engineered to lack omentin-1, they observed more bone tissue destruction and increased numbers of bone-resorbing osteoclast cells than in normal, healthy animals. The researchers also administered exogenous omentin-1 to mice either with an overactive inflammatory molecule or experimentally induced to develop osteoporosis. In both cases, they found that the protein suppressed inflammation and guarded against bone loss. Omentin-1 thus provides promising therapeutic agent for preventing or treating inflammatory bone diseases such as osteoporosis.