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Hello, List,

A month or so ago, I asked the list if others had seen improvements in  
their bone density despite no drugs or much in the way of supplements.

Thanks very much to the two dozen people who replied with interesting  
and widely varying stories. The particulars cover a huge range; no two  
alike. The sample size is so relatively small and the answers so  
varied that while our case histories are all interesting, it’s hard to  
draw any conclusions from the lot. The only common variable is celiac  
and the GF diet.

But:
IMPROVEMENT

Fourteen people reported improvements in their bone density numbers.  
Most use calcium and other supplements; most commented that they  
exercise.

Five of the improved fourteen take drugs for bones.

One reports good results from five years on Fosamax (which she no  
longer takes).

One is on her second year of Boniva infusions.

Two take Actonel.

One takes Evista but says "that's not supposed to cause improvement."

NO IMPROVEMENT

Ten people said their bones have not improved. Most use supplements.  
Only five of the ten mentioned exercise.

Of the ten, six have gotten worse, despite Actonel, Boniva, Fosamax  
and various supplements.

INTERESTING DIET NOTE

The two most unexpected responses were on the positive side: women who  
attributed good results to adding meat and/or fish to their diets.  
Meat is acid-forming food; current wisdom dictates bones don’t like  
that. One person got the advice from her doctor. The other went to a  
folk cure, drinking a daily cup of soup she makes from beef bones and  
some chicken parts. Her doctor, impressed with the results, put his  
own mother on the same formula.

IMPROVED ABSORPTION

A few years ago, Peter Green at Columbia Presbyterian told me he  
thinks that even if the gut looks and tests healed, it never (or  
seldom) becomes completely normal. (I have had a follow-up endoscopy:  
everything looks fine). I said I was beginning to think that the gut’s  
ability to absorb can continue to improve in ways that don’t show up  
on tests. He said he thought so, too. My hypothesis is that my bones  
have benefited from improved gut absorption over time. But who knows?

DIET

Various people asked me what I eat:

I stopped caffeine years ago, after I got my first bad-bones report.

Nonfat yogurt with fruit and chopped-up almonds for breakfast. Love  
dark green vegetables…all vegetables, actually. Not much butter. Lots  
of cheese; unpasteurized every so often, but I am not particularly  
looking for it. Stand-by carb/snack is Lundberg rice cakes with  
mayonnaise (which I make myself; egg yolks, garlic, olive oil), a semi- 
hard cheese, and avocado. I like fish. Have nothing against red meat,  
but rarely eat it. Not particularly interested in pastries and various  
GF substitutes for baked goods. A glass or two of wine (not more: I  
don’t enjoy being tipsy).

I have been GF for 13 years, and very conscientious about it. I  
exercise vigorously a minimum of three hours a week and walk a lot.  
But until the last two scans, bone loss remained the same or got a  
little worse. It's only since 2007 that I have seen improvement.

I shall post separately on the topics of food for bones, and exercise.

Thanks again, everyone.

Mary B.
NYC








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