Bone Health in Coeliac Disease: Do B-vitamins have a role?

Coeliac Disease (CD) is a common, autoimmune inflammatory condition induced by gluten consumption in genetically susceptible individuals. Patients with CD are at increased risk of osteoporosis, a feature often attributed to chronic calcium and/or vitamin D malabsorption. It is possible however that other nutritional factors also contribute to poor bone health in CD. As previously described in this journal by researchers at our centre, emerging evidence in generally healthy cohorts worldwide supports a potential role for certain B-vitamins in bone health. Here we consider the possibility that low B-vitamin status, and/ or elevated concentrations of the closely related metabolite homocysteine, may contribute to osteoporosis in CD.