Bone: best papers of the year 2017

An overview of selected papers related to bone published in 2017 is provided. This paper accompanies a lecture at the 2018 Belgian Bone Club annual Clinical Update Symposium held in Brussels on January 20th, discussing the best papers (in the opinion of the author) published in the previous year. A PubMed search using the keyword “bone” and articles published in 2017. Hot topics include screening for osteoporosis, novel anabolic drugs such as romosozumab and abaloparatide for osteoporosis and rare metabolic bone diseases, as well as long-term efficacy of denosumab and possible risk of multiple vertebral fractures following its discontinuation. Other selected articles cover effectiveness of bisphosphonates and changes in mineralization after long-term use, new guidelines for glucocorticoid- and aromatase inhibitor-induced osteoporosis, increasing use of high-dose vitamin D supplements despite lack of evidence for their widespread high-dose use, and cardiovascular safety concerns surrounding the use of calcium supplements. Other topics discussed are effects of diabetes on bone health, reciprocal crosstalk between bone cells and adipose tissue, and resistance exercise training to prevent bone loss and sarcopenia. These papers offer a hopeful outlook for a better treatment and management of patients with osteoporosis and other metabolic bone diseases anno 2018.