Regulation of Bone Mass and Body Composition by Anterior Pituitary Hormones

The pituitary gland is responsible for the secretion of various hormones, which have known effects on target organs throughout the body. Over the past two decades, our increased understanding of the basic biology and the evolution of clinical evidence has established that these hormones exert actions beyond their traditional target organs, bestowing an even more critical role on the pituitary gland than previously envisioned. Of the many additional target actions known, none have been studied in as much depth as that on the bone and body fat. This article focuses on the impact of these hormones on bone and body fat and highlights novel therapeutic opportunities to treat metabolic diseases, especially obesity and osteoporosis.