{"id":23898,"date":"2025-08-12T10:53:19","date_gmt":"2025-08-12T15:53:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vetmed.tamu.edu\/news\/?p=23898"},"modified":"2025-08-12T13:00:13","modified_gmt":"2025-08-12T18:00:13","slug":"fracture-healing-for-people-with-obesity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vetmed.tamu.edu\/news\/press-releases\/fracture-healing-for-people-with-obesity\/","title":{"rendered":"$1.6M NIH Grant Supports Texas A&M Research To Improve Fracture Healing For People With Obesity"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"A
Dr. Srividhya Iyer, photos by Jason Nitsch \u201914, VMBS Marketing & Communications<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

More than 100 million people in the United States have obesity, a condition linked with diabetes, cardiovascular disease, strokes, and nerve damage. Among the states with the most obesity cases, Texas ranks No. 10.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With prevalence of the disease expected to rise by 2050 \u2014 when one-third of children and adolescents are expected to be overweight or obese \u2014 researchers are racing to uncover new treatment options to benefit this ever-growing population.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this quest, research recently revealed a link between obesity, diabetes, and poor bone fracture healing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPeople with Type 2 diabetes and obesity are more susceptible to bone fractures; their bones don\u2019t heal at normal rates, or sometimes at all,\u201d said Dr. Srividhya Iyer<\/a>, an assistant professor in the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences<\/a>\u2019 Department of Veterinary Physiology & Pharmacology<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having a bone fracture that won\u2019t heal often leads to surgery and can lead to amputation, a procedure that more than 160,000 American diabetics undergo each year, according to the American Diabetes Association.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, with a $1.6 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, Iyer and her team will spend the next three years researching the relationship between diabetes, obesity, and bone fractures. They hope to develop a treatment that can help stubborn bone fractures heal, thus preventing further complications and improving quality of life for people with diabetes and obesity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bone Health And Diabetes<\/h2>\n\n\n
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Iyer assists research associate Emmanuella Amara Ofoka and undergraduate student David Matl<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Until recently, bone health has not played a large role in the conversation around diabetes and obesity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe know that individuals with excess weight have a predisposition to develop Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular problems,\u201d Iyer said. \u201cWhat has not been appreciated is that they also have weaker bones, which increases the chance of fracture.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the complications don\u2019t end there. Not only are people with obesity or diabetes more likely to break a bone, but their bones also take longer to heal \u2014 if they do at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNormally, if you break a bone, you receive a cast for four weeks while the fracture heals,\u201d Iyer said. \u201cBut if you have Type 2 diabetes or obesity, you are likely to be in the cast for longer, which means having a temporary disability for longer, affecting your quality of life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because the differences between healthy bones and weakened ones don\u2019t show up in standard X-rays and bone mineral density tests, the full problem is only now starting to be recognized by the medical research community based on statistics of people with bone fracture complications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen a broken bone does not heal properly, there is pain and swelling in addition to what a patient may normally experience from a fracture,\u201d Iyer said. \u201cMost doctors will recommend surgery at that point, and if that does not work, then the only option may be amputation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAll of these steps cost time, money, and quality of life for the patient, which is what we are trying to prevent,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Illuminating The Black Box<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

To find a solution for stubborn bone fractures, Iyer and her team are investigating the underlying mechanisms that affect bone repair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen you get injured, there are certain cells that wake up and begin to repair the break, whether it\u2019s a bone fracture or a skin abrasion,\u201d Iyer said. \u201cThey create a kind of \u2018glue\u2019 or bridge across the fracture, which then \u2018cements\u2019 the injury so there\u2019s no evidence that there was a break.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut in people with diabetes or obesity, the process either takes longer, doesn\u2019t work at all, or pauses at a certain stage. We really do not understand what the problem is \u2014 it\u2019s a black box,\u201d she said. \u201cThere is some process that needs to be corrected. Are the cells not making enough material to bridge the fracture? Is there something breaking down the bridge? Figuring out what\u2019s going on is what this grant is about.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fighting Long-Term Risks<\/h2>\n\n\n
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\"Two
Undergraduate student Viraj Agrawal performs tests while supervised by senior research associate Dana Godfrey.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

One of the problems with obesity and diabetes-related bone weakening is that the problem persists even if an individual\u2019s diabetes is under control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEven when blood sugar is stable with medication, a person can have low rates of bone healing and the chances that they don\u2019t heal are three to five times higher,\u201d Iyer said. \u201cThe chances of needing to undergo a follow-up surgery for musculoskeletal complications also rises. There is even an increased mortality risk because of the chance of bacterial infections or sepsis in a part of the body that cannot be amputated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat used to be a problem common in elderly populations now affects people of all ages,\u201d she said. \u201cIt has consequences for Texans, the U.S., and the world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Providing Hope<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The good news is that Iyer and her team are working hard to uncover treatment options for  people who have trouble healing fractures. One part of the grant involves testing therapeutic drugs to see if the researchers can \u201ctrick\u201d stubborn bones into healing like they would in a lean person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe know that obesity and Type 2 diabetes are associated with certain changes in the body, like higher blood glucose, insulin resistance, and the altered sentinel functions of the cell, which look out for threats. It\u2019s possible that these factors are acting preemptively to suppress the healing process,\u201d Iyer said. \u201cWe hope that there may be a drug that can encourage these systems to operate normally.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

###<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more information about the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, please visit our website at\u00a0<\/em>vetmed.tamu.edu<\/em><\/a>\u00a0or join us on\u00a0<\/em>Facebook<\/em><\/a>,\u00a0<\/em>Instagram<\/em><\/a>, and\u00a0<\/em>X<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Contact Information:<\/em><\/strong> Jennifer Gauntt, Director of VMBS Communications, Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, <\/em>jgauntt@cvm.tamu.edu,<\/em><\/a> 979-862-4216<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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