title: Occupation-dependent loading increases bone strength in men.
abstract: CONCLUSIONS
  Ex vivo analyses of humeri and radii from an anthropological collection and in vivo analyses of the distal radius of retired men indicate that occupation-dependent loading positively influences bone strength by an increase of bone size when young followed by a slowdown of the age-related endocortical and trabecular bone alteration.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Skeleton responds to mechanical stimuli, but it is not established whether chronic loading in the context of occupational activities (OA) influences bone properties. We assessed the impact of occupation-dependent loading on upper limb bone strength.
  
  
  METHODS
  Individuals were classified according to the intensity of physical loading associated with their OA in two models. Ex vivo, computed tomography scans of the humeri and radii of 219 male skeletons (age of death, 20-93 years) from an anthropological collection of the 20th century (Simon collection) were used to determine estimates of bone strength and cross-sectional geometry. In vivo, distal radius were analysed in 180 men enrolled in the Geneva Retirees Cohort study using high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography and finite element analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Heavy-loading OA was associated with higher bone strength in both models. This benefit was associated with higher total area (Tt.Ar), medullary area (Me.Ar) and cortical area (Ct.Ar) in young adult skeletons, but the difference decreased in older age. In older men, the humerus supporting heavy loading had a lower Me.Ar. This effect resulted in greater asymmetries of the Me.Ar and the Ct.Ar/Tt.Ar ratio between the humeri of men with unilateral versus bilateral heavy-loading OA. In vivo, an additional benefit of heavy-loading OA was observed on the distal radius trabecular density and microstructure.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Repeated occupation-dependent loading positively influences bone strength by an increase of bone size when young followed by a slowdown of the age-related endocortical and trabecular bone alteration. These data supports the necessity to promote bone health in the context of sedentary occupation.
authors.affiliation: Division of Bone Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine Specialties, Geneva University Hospitals and Faculty of Medicine, 4 Rue Gabrielle Perret-Gentil, 1211, Geneva 14, Switzerland. Emmanuel.Biver@hcuge.ch.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Biver
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Prehistoric Archaeology and Anthropology, F.-A. Forel Institut - Section of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Geneva. Uni Carl Vogt, 66 boulevard Carl Vogt, 1211, Geneva 4, Switzerland.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Perréard Lopreno
authors.affiliation: Division of Bone Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine Specialties, Geneva University Hospitals and Faculty of Medicine, 4 Rue Gabrielle Perret-Gentil, 1211, Geneva 14, Switzerland.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hars
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, PO Box 513, Eindhoven, MB 5600, Netherlands.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: van Rietbergen
authors.affiliation: Division of Radiology, Geneva University Hospitals and Faculty of Medicine, 4 Rue Gabrielle Perret-Gentil, 1211, Geneva 14, Switzerland.
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Vallée
authors.affiliation: Division of Bone Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine Specialties, Geneva University Hospitals and Faculty of Medicine, 4 Rue Gabrielle Perret-Gentil, 1211, Geneva 14, Switzerland.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ferrari
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Prehistoric Archaeology and Anthropology, F.-A. Forel Institut - Section of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Geneva. Uni Carl Vogt, 66 boulevard Carl Vogt, 1211, Geneva 4, Switzerland.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Besse
authors.affiliation: Division of Bone Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine Specialties, Geneva University Hospitals and Faculty of Medicine, 4 Rue Gabrielle Perret-Gentil, 1211, Geneva 14, Switzerland.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rizzoli
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology; D000071298:Body Remains / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000502:physiology; D015519:Bone Density / Q000502:physiology*; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D006811:Humerus / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016272:Occupational Health; D011884:Radius / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000502:physiology; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D016474:Weight-Bearing / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Bone cross-sectional geometry; Bone strength; HR-pQCT; Mechanical loading; Occupation