Bone and fat: A relationship of different shades

•Fat metabolic status regulates bone mass.•Bone marrow fat has white and brown fat characteristics.•Beige fat is beneficial for bone.

Environmental and behavioral changes which occurred over the last century led simultaneously to a remarkable increase in human lifespan and to the development of health problems associated with functional impairment of organs either regulating or dependent on balanced energy metabolism. Diseases such as diabetes, obesity and osteoporosis are prevalent in our society and pose major challenges with respect to the overall health and economy. Therefore, better understanding of regulatory axes between bone and fat may provide the basis for development of strategies which will treat these diseases simultaneously and improve health and life quality of elderly.