Revisiting Harold Frost’s mechanostat theory of bone functional adaptation: new interpretations based on new evidence.

Abstract

The main purpose of this dissertation is to explore, update, and add to the existing theory of bone functional adaptation through critically reviewing and interpreting the literature in the bone field. In this dissertation, three main questions are asked regarding bone functional adaptation and then answered (based on existing literature) in three papers. These questions are: 1. What is the underlying biology of how bones sense and respond to mechanical stimuli? 2. Does bone functional adaptation become less effective with increasing age? 3. Do the benefits of bone functional adaptation transfer to protection from osteoporotic fractures? The final chapter summarizes the main conclusions of the dissertation and outlines important implications for both future bone research and for prevention of osteoporosis and related fractures.