One chest x-ray really stands out in my memory. It was a picture from the side of an older woman. Her upper spine was bent over because the calcium had left her spine and she had multiple fractures. The back of a vertebral body holds up, but the front compresses because the bone is so weak. In fact, the calcium content of her aorta was greater than the calcium content of her spine Her aorta looked more like a bone than her spine did. There is a good reason for that.
Cells in the wall of the artery become bone cells and they create bone in the artery wall. Arterial calcification formation is a highly regulated biological process that is very much like bone formation. In osteoporosis an imbalance of bone forming and bone destroying cells reduces bone calcium. In arteries, the balance in very similar cells favors tissue formation looks like bone under the microscope. Oxidants drive bone formation in arteries and calcium loss in the spine.
Metformin and other green box medications are antioxidants. This discussion helps you understand how osteoporosis and artery calcification are related. It explains why metformin slows bone loss from the spine and bone formation in the arteries. Chronic diseases and aging are related. We can more effectively treat both now.
Yup!