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Updated: Apr 2, 2026
Culturing and Measuring Fetal and Newborn Murine Long Bones
Published on: April 26, 2019
Skeletal muscle and pediatric bone development
Joseph M Kindler1, Richard D Lewis, Mark W Hamrick
1aDepartment of Foods and Nutrition, College of Family and Consumer Sciences, University of Georgia, Athens bDepartment of Cellular Biology and Anatomy, Medical College of Georgia, Georgia Regents University, Augusta, Georgia, USA.
Insights
Pediatric musculoskeletal development is influenced by the muscle-bone relationship. Optimizing muscle health through diet and exercise is crucial for bone growth and overall skeletal development in children.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Endocrinology
- Musculoskeletal Health
- Bone Biology
Background:
- The interplay between muscle and bone is critical for skeletal development in children.
- Factors like muscle adiposity, endocrine status, and lifestyle significantly impact this relationship.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review recent clinical findings on muscle-bone interactions in pediatric populations.
- To explore the roles of muscle adiposity, endocrine factors, and lifestyle in pediatric musculoskeletal development.
Main Methods:
- This is a review article summarizing existing clinical findings.
- Focus on prospective studies and their contributions to understanding muscle-bone relationships.
Main Results:
- Positive associations exist between muscle characteristics (mass, size, function) and cortical bone geometry.
- Muscle fat is linked to impaired glucose metabolism and reduced muscle function, potentially affecting bone growth.
- Healthy diets and physical activity enhance the muscular phenotype and endocrine profile, supporting skeletal development.
Conclusions:
- Muscle and bone are closely linked, but this relationship is modulated by factors like sex, maturation, and study design.
- Further research is needed to understand muscle adiposity's impact on cardiometabolic health, muscle function, and pediatric bone health.
- Adhering to age-specific diet and physical activity guidelines is essential for optimal muscle and bone development.
Purpose Of Review:
The purpose of this review is to summarize the recent clinical findings surrounding the muscle-bone relationships in children, while considering muscle adiposity, endocrine factors, and lifestyle influences (i.e., diet and exercise) involved in pediatric musculoskeletal development.
Recent Findings:
Positive relationships between cortical bone geometry and muscle mass, size and function have been reported. Prospective studies in particular have helped clarify some of the inconsistent relationships between muscle and cortical bone volumetric density. Muscle fat is associated with impaired glucose handling and muscular functionality, which may in turn have a downstream effect on cortical bone growth during adolescence. Lifestyle factors such as healthful diets and higher impact physical activities can promote optimal skeletal development by improving the muscular phenotype and endocrine profile.
Summary:
Muscle and bone are two intricately-related tissue types; however, factors such as sex, maturation, study design, and outcome measures studied can modify this relationship. Further research is warranted to understand the impact of muscle adiposity on cardiometabolic health, muscle function and, subsequently, pediatric musculoskeletal development and fracture risk. Following age-specific diet and physical activity recommendations should be a major focus in obtaining optimal muscle and bone development throughout maturation.
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