Predicting the bending properties of long bones: Insights from an experimental mouse model.

Objectives: Analyses of bone cross-sectional geometry are frequently used by anthropologists and paleontologists to infer the loading histories of past populations. To address some underlying assumptions, we investigated the relative roles of genetics and exercise on bone cross-sectional geometry and bending mechanics in three mouse strains: high bone density (C3H/He), low bone density (C57BL/6), and a high-runner strain homozygous for the Myh4 allele (MM).

Methods And Materials: Weanlings of each strain were divided into exercise (wheel) or control (sedentary) treatment groups for a 7-week experimental period.