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-- The intolerance of the gluten
portion of wheat may link to osteoporosis, the mineral
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| Some people
develop osteoporosis, the mineral loss disease
that leads to brittle bones, because their
bodies cannot tolerate wheat flour. |
loss disease that leads to brittle bones, a recent study
shows.
A report published in the current issue of the
Archives of Internal Medicine said that the intolerance
of gluten (a form of protein found in grains such as
wheat, barley, and rye), called celiac disease, can be
treated, so the damage done by osteoporosis can be
reversed in such patients.
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| Screening
people with osteoporosis for a condition that
makes it difficult to digest wheat may help
improve treatment and reduce the risks
associated with the common bone-weakening
disease. |
"Our results suggest that as many as three to four
percent of patients who have osteoporosis have the bone
disease as a consequence of having celiac disease, which
makes them unable to absorb normal amounts of calcium
and vitamin D," said William Stenson, a Washington
University physician at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St.
Louis.
The report was based on a look at 840 patients,
some of whom had osteoporosis.
Researchers found that nearly 4.5% (12) of the
osteoporosis patients tested positive for celiac disease
compared with only 1.0 % (six) of the women without
osteoporosis.
Biopsy-proven celiac disease was confirmed in
3.4% of women with osteoporosis and only 0.2% of women
without osteoporosis, according to the report.
"Bone density ... improved dramatically on a
gluten-free diet," Stenson said. "We believe the diet
allowed their intestines to heal, and that allowed them
to absorb normal amounts of calcium and vitamin D to
reverse bone loss." Enditem
What happens to people with celiac disease?
Celiac disease can cause different problems at
different times:
- An infant with celiac disease may have abdominal
pain and diarrhea (even bloody diarrhea), and may
fail to grow and gain weight.
- A young child may have abdominal pain with
nausea and lack of appetite, anemia (not enough iron
in the blood), mouth sores and allergic dermatitis
(skin rash).
- A child could be irritable, fretful, emotionally
withdrawn or excessively dependent.
- In later stages, a child may become
malnourished, with or without vomiting and diarrhea.
This would cause the child to have a large tummy,
thin thigh muscles and flat buttocks.
- Teenagers may hit puberty late and be short.
Celiac disease might cause some hair loss (a
condition called alopecia areata).
What happens in adults with celiac disease?
Adults who begin to be ill with celiac disease might
have a general feeling of poor health, with fatigue,
irritability and depression, even if they have few
intestinal problems. One serious illness that often
occurs is osteoporosis (loss of calcium from the bones).
A symptom of osteoporosis may be night-time bone pain.
About 5% of adults with celiac disease have anemia.
Lactose intolerance (problem with foods like milk) is
common in patients of all ages with celiac disease. It
usually disappears when they follow a gluten-free diet.Go to next page info on research
studies .
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