Estrogen's role in growth primarily involves bone development during puberty and bone protection throughout life.
Estrogen's Function in Growth and Bone Health
Estrogen plays a critical role in several aspects related to growth, particularly concerning bone development and maintenance:
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Bone Development During Puberty: Estrogen is essential for the development of long bones. It stimulates growth and, crucially, it also triggers the fusion of the epiphyseal growth plates, which effectively stops the lengthening of bones [10].
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Bone Protection: Estrogen protects bone density by inhibiting osteoclast activity. Osteoclasts are cells that break down bone tissue. By inactivating them, estrogen helps prevent bone loss and osteoporosis, especially in estrogen-deficient conditions like postmenopause [10].
In essence, estrogen promotes bone growth during puberty and then transitions to a protective role, maintaining bone strength and preventing excessive bone breakdown later in life.
