Blood PFAS levels and bone loss in older adults
Serum PFAS and risk of fracture and bone loss
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 ID | NIH-11324617 on NIH RePORTER |
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.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: 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.
Not a fit: People under age 65 or those without bone-density concerns are less likely to gain direct benefit from these findings.
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 performed: 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
Hadley, United States
- University of Massachusetts Amherst — Hadley, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Reeves, Katherine Whitney — University of Massachusetts Amherst
- Study coordinator: Reeves, Katherine Whitney
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 below.