Celiac sufferers ‘at increased risk of osteoporosis’

People living with the digestive health condition celiac disease are at increased risk of developing osteoporosis, experts have claimed.

Presenting findings at the EULAR 2011 Annual Congress, British researchers established a link between bone marrow density loss and the condition.

Scan results of the lumbar spine and femoral neck of people with celiac disease were compared to those of individuals at no risk of osteoporosis.

The scientists, from Lancaster and Liverpool, collected data from 1,030 patients with celiac disease between June 2004 and September 2009.

“These findings may be due to the fact that the bone in the lumbar spine is spongy, less dense and weaker in comparison to the femoral neck,” remarked Mr Oldroyd of Lancaster University School of Medicine.

He added that more research was required in order to establish a definite link between the two conditions.

People with celiac disease are advised to refrain from consuming foods containing wheat, rye and barley in a bid to relieve the painful symptoms.