Blood PFAS levels and bone loss in older adults
Official title: Serum PFAS and risk of fracture and bone loss
Funded at University of Massachusetts Amherst · NIH-11324617 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project will look at whether common environmental chemicals called PFAS in blood are linked to bone thinning and higher fracture risk in older adults.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Massachusetts Amherst NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Hadley, United States) |
| Project start | August 1, 2024 |
| Project end | April 30, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $1,063,711 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AG088033-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11324617 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Older adults, especially people aged 65 and over including both men and women and individuals from diverse racial backgrounds concerned about bone health, are most relevant to this work.
✕Less likely to help
People under age 65 or those without bone-density concerns are less likely to gain direct benefit from these findings.
What this research studies
From your perspective, researchers will measure PFAS chemicals in stored blood samples and connect those levels to long-term bone density tests and fracture records from three large U.S. aging studies (MrOS, SOF, and HABC). They will use efficient case-cohort designs and follow-up data spanning up to 20 years to compare people who had fractures or rapid bone loss with others. The work includes both men and women and adds racial diversity through the HABC cohort to improve applicability of the results. Because the project uses existing samples and records, most of the analysis is done from archived data rather than new clinic visits.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If confirmed, the findings could identify PFAS exposure as a preventable contributor to osteoporosis and help guide screening, prevention, and public health policy.
How similar studies have gone: Smaller studies have suggested links between PFAS and weaker bones, but results have been inconsistent and large, long-term cohort analyses like this are still relatively limited.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Massachusetts Amherst
Hadley, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Reeves, Katherine Whitney — University of Massachusetts Amherst
- Study coordinator: Reeves, Katherine Whitney
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Urine cadmium and bone health in older adults
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Systemic bone loss after fracture in humans
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Cadmium exposure and bone health in older adults
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The link between urine cadmium levels and bone health in older adults
This study is looking at how cadmium in urine might affect bone health and increase the risk of fractures in older adults, and it will track participants over 20 years to see how their bones change over time.
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Investigating the link between PFAS exposure and bone health in older adults
This study is looking at how certain chemicals called PFAS might affect bone health and increase the risk of fractures in older adults, and it will follow a diverse group of people for up to 20 years to see how these chemicals impact their bones over time.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.