New research suggests that taking aspirin regularly may reduce risk of osteoporosis.

Researchers at the University of Southern California, School of Dentistry have uncovered the health benefits of aspirin in the fight against osteoporosis, which affects men and women alike.

The study identifies aspirin's medicinal role on two fronts.

In mice, the drug appears to prevent both improper bone resorption and the death of bone-forming stem cells.

According to Associate Professor Songtao Shi and Research Associate Takayoshi Yamaza of the USC School of Dentistry's Center for Craniofacial Molecular Biology (CCMB), an aspirin regimen appears to help mice recover from osteoporosis in two useful ways, striking a balance between bone formation and resorption.

In women, bone loss is greatest during the first few years after menopause. Osteoporosis occurs when bone resorption (loss of bone) occurs too quickly or when formation (replacement) occurs to slowly.

According to Shi, the removal of the ovaries and the resulting decrease in estrogen induces osteoporosis in mice, much like the onset of the disease in post-menopausal women.

It is commonly thought that T-lymphocytes, a type of immune system cell, play a pivotal part in this process by over-activating osteoclasts, the bone cells that reabsorb bone material from the skeleton. Most current osteoporosis therapies aim to curb overactive osteoclasts.

However, there seems to be another side to the T-lymphocytes', or T-cells', role in osteoporosis, Yamaza says.