What causes bone loss?

[Cat-a-Tonic]

Some of you may remember my vent about my mother and celiac/gluten:

http://www.crohnsforum.com/showthread.php?t=16313

So I just got yet another email from my mother. She thinks she "definitely" has celiac now (even though she's still yet to have any diagnostic tests for it!) because she got a bone scan, and since her last bone scan about 3 years ago, she's lost 15% of bone in her spine. She's super upset and thinks that it's another sign that she's got celiac - that eating gluten caused malabsorption of calcium which in turn caused the bone loss.

Now, I know I don't have celiac or gluten sensitivity but my mom's harping on me yet again that I should go gluten-free so that I don't get bone loss too. So I'm wondering what else could have caused her bone loss? She is in her late 50s and is a thin caucasian female, so she's already got some risk factors for bone loss (older thin white females are more likely to get osteoperosis). But I'm wondering what other causes there could be so that I can tell her it's maybe not celiac and it could be A, B, or C instead. Can anybody help? Would an undiagnosed IBD cause bone loss? Or other types of undiagnosed illness? My mom hasn't been diagnosed with anything but she seems to want to believe that she's got celiac (see other thread above).

 

[DustyKat]

I would say in your Mum's case it is a combination of factors that has led to this degree of bone loss.

Since she is post menopausal there would be the obvious hormone imbalance's that have occurred over the years of menopause.

You have identified that she is thin but by the sounds of it she is also a worrier is that right? Many health professionals believe that emotional stress also plays a part in affecting hormones which then affect the role they play with loss of bone density.

Chronic inflammation, particularly of the gut, can cause malabsorption which affects nutrition and absorption of calcium. Gut problems or not could your Mum inadvertently be eliminating essential foods from her diet? Could there be issues with lack of Vitamin D due to where she resides?

Does your Mum exercise at all? It is proven that weight resistance exercise is quite effective at building and maintaining bone mineral density.

Sorry Cat, probably more questions than answers!

Dusty.

 

[Cat-a-Tonic]

Yep, mom is a worrier, and yes definitely she exercises! Too much in fact - she's a marathon runner. She's given herself running-induced asthma from too much running. I did some googling earlier today and apparently over-exercising can also cause bone loss (too much stress on the bones maybe?). My mom is lactose intolerant so she's cut out gluten and most dairy (she takes calcium supplements though).

I sent her an email back today saying I'm done talking about gluten. She sent me a note back saying that she's just worried about me. I understand that, but I could really use support instead of lectures, you know? She says she won't mention gluten again... we'll see if that actually happens or not!