High cholesterol has been found to contribute to a loss of bone density in two ways, according to researchers at Duke University Medical Center. It blocks formation of new bone cells and it encourages the activity of mechanisms responsible for breaking down bone. “In the current study in mice, we showed that a high-cholesterol diet alone significantly decreased bone quality,” said Erik Nelson, PhD, a postdoctoral research associate in the McDonnell laboratory. However, they noted that only when cholesterol was converted to 27-hydroxycholesterol did it negatively impact bone. Without estrogen, which occurs in postmenopausal women, the 27-hydroxycholesterol continued signaling through liver X receptor, which decreased the amount of bone. In the meantime, the data we have generated thus far suggest an unanticipated positive activity of statins and add to the list of health benefits associated with lowering cholesterol.