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This was sent to me my a support group member.  Thought is might interest the
diabetic celiacs out there.  Bev in Milwaukee

Hormone linked to osteoporosis

United Press International
02/22/2004

HOUSTON, Feb 22, 2004 (United Press International via COMTEX) -- Baylor
College of Medicine researchers in Houston, Texas, have found that a hormone
prevents bone loss in the human body.

Osteoporosis, caused by loss of mineral density in bones, makes bones weaker
and more prone to fracture, especially in post-menopausal women. But the
condition it also can affect people with Type 1 diabetes.

The BBC said the study found those who lack the hormone amylin, which is
secreted by the same cells that produce insulin in the pancreas and whose failure
leads to diabetes, have less bone mass than those who produce the hormone.

Bones stay strong only through a constant recycling by cells called
oseoclasts, which chew up bone and the old bone is replaced with new mineral deposits.

Researchers said that delicate balance between breakdown and renewal of bone
can be disturbed by the body's immune system attacking the pancreatic cells
that produce both insulin and amylin.

Lead researcher Gerard Karsenty said if scientists could find a way to
replace amylin it could provide a way to prevent diabetes-related osteoporosis and
possibly other forms of the condition as well.

The study was published in the Journal of Cell Biology.

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