While osteoporosis is a chronic disease caused by multiple factors, it is also a risk factor for fractures. At present, numerous risk factors for osteoporosis and secondary fractures have been identified, including sunlight, physical fitness, gender, age, trauma, dietary habits, tobacco, alcohol, drugs, air quality, and genetics. Despite that factors such as long winters, short daylight hours, less daily physical activity, air pollution, low calcium and high salt diet, and sedentary lifestyle could negatively impact the bones of residents in the alpine regions of northern China, the direct effect of low-temperature stimulation on bone growth and development remains unclear. In this study, by reviewing current research progress related to osteoporosis and fracture risk in northern China, we proposed appropriate preventive measures for different risk factors to reduce the occurrence of osteoporosis and fracture in cold areas of northern China.

With increasing aging population, osteoporosis has emerged as a public health problem worldwide. Epidemiological data reveal that the prevalence of osteoporosis in cold regions is high, and low temperatures may crucially affect bone mass. Recent studies have found that the transient receptor potential melastatin-8 (TRPM8) channel, a cold-sensitive ion channel, can sense cold environment, and can be activated in cold environment. It may play an antagonistic role in low temperature-induced bone mass reduction. Mechanistically, this function may be ascribed to the activation of TRPM8 channel proteins in human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (hBM-MSCs), which causes osteoblast differentiation and mineralization in the bone. TRPM8 channel on the surface of brown adipocytes participates in the thermogenesis in brown adipose tissue (BAT) and the regulation of whole-body energy balance to maintain bone homeostasis. TRPM8 may be involved in bone remodeling throughout life. This paper reviews recent research on the possible antagonistic mechanism of TRPM8 in signaling pathways related to low temperature-induced bone mass loss and assesses the possibility of TRPM8 as a molecular target for the prevention and treatment of low temperature-induced osteoporosis in cold regions.