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Related Concept Videos

Anorexia Nervosa01:28

Anorexia Nervosa

Anorexia nervosa is a complex and severe eating disorder characterized by an intense fear of weight gain, an unrelenting pursuit of thinness, and a distorted body image. It often leads to dangerously low body weight relative to an individual's age and height. This disorder is marked by significant physical and psychological consequences, making it one of the most life-threatening psychiatric illnesses.
Symptoms and Physical Effects
Individuals with anorexia nervosa commonly exhibit extreme...
Bone Disorders01:29

Bone Disorders

Aging and its effect on bone remodeling is the most common cause of bone disorders. In young and healthy people, bone deposition and resorption happen at an equal rate to maintain optimal bone health.
Bone deposition is also affected by the levels of sex hormones like estrogen and testosterone that promote osteoblast activity and bone matrix synthesis. When the level of these hormones decreases due to aging, it causes a reduction in bone deposition. As a result, bone resorption by osteoclasts...
Essential Minerals for Bone Health01:31

Essential Minerals for Bone Health

The minerals contained in all of the food we consume are essential for our organ systems. However, certain essential minerals, such as calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, and fluoride, largely affect bone health.
Calcium and Phosphorus
Calcium is a critical component of bones, especially in the form of calcium phosphate and calcium carbonate. Since the body cannot make calcium, it must be obtained from the diet. However, calcium cannot be absorbed from the small intestine without...
Role of Vitamins in Maintaining Bone Health01:25

Role of Vitamins in Maintaining Bone Health

The growth and maintenance of bone are regulated by a combination of nutritional factors, including vitamins, such as vitamin A, B12, C, D, and K.
Vitamin A
Vitamin A is involved in the process of bone remodeling. Retinoic acid, the active metabolite of Vitamin A, has nuclear receptors in osteoblasts and osteoclasts, which are involved in bone remodeling.
Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 acts as a cofactor during the formation of osteoblast-related proteins, such as osteocalcin. Vitamin B12 plays a role...
Bulimia Nervosa01:30

Bulimia Nervosa

Bulimia nervosa is a complex and severe eating disorder characterized by a cyclical pattern of binge-and-purge eating pattern. It generally involves an episode of binge eating, followed by compensatory behaviors such as vomiting, excessive exercise, laxative use, or fasting, to prevent weight gain. Despite often maintaining a normal weight, individuals with bulimia are intensely preoccupied with their body image and harbor an overwhelming fear of gaining weight. This can contribute to the...
Bone Remodeling01:40

Bone Remodeling

Bone remodeling is a continuous and balanced process of bone resorption by osteoclasts and bone formation by osteoblasts. In adults, it helps maintain bone mass and calcium homeostasis. While mechanical stress can stimulate turnover as part of the normal maintenance and reparative process, several hormones also regulate bone remodeling.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 29, 2026

Scanning Skeletal Remains for Bone Mineral Density in Forensic Contexts
07:56

Scanning Skeletal Remains for Bone Mineral Density in Forensic Contexts

Published on: January 29, 2018

Bone health in anorexia nervosa.

Madhusmita Misra1, Anne Klibanski

  • 1Neuroendocrine Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, USA. mmisra@partners.org

Current Opinion in Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Obesity
|September 8, 2011
PubMed
Summary

Anorexia nervosa leads to low bone mineral density (BMD) and poor bone accrual. Transdermal estrogen in adolescents and bisphosphonates in adults show therapeutic potential for improving bone health.

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Trabecular Bone Microarchitecture Evaluation in an Osteoporosis Mouse Model
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Scanning Skeletal Remains for Bone Mineral Density in Forensic Contexts
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Trabecular Bone Microarchitecture Evaluation in an Osteoporosis Mouse Model

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Area of Science:

  • Endocrinology
  • Bone Metabolism
  • Nutritional Psychiatry

Background:

  • Anorexia nervosa (AN) is linked to diminished bone mineral density (BMD), increasing fracture risk and hindering peak bone mass development in adolescents.
  • Key contributing factors include reduced lean mass, hypogonadism, low insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), relative hypercortisolemia, and hormonal shifts due to energy deficit.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the underlying causes of impaired bone health in AN.
  • To discuss potential therapeutic strategies for managing low BMD in AN patients.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of studies investigating bone health in anorexia nervosa.
  • Analysis of hormonal, metabolic, and therapeutic interventions impacting bone accrual and BMD.

Main Results:

  • Weight gain partially improves bone accrual but does not normalize it. Vitamin D and oral estrogen are ineffective for increasing BMD.
  • Transdermal estrogen effectively enhances bone accrual in adolescent AN patients, while recombinant human IGF-1 aids bone formation.
  • Bisphosphonates increase BMD in adult AN patients but not in adolescents, requiring cautious use due to their long half-life.

Conclusions:

  • Further research is needed to optimize therapies for low BMD in AN.
  • Encouraging weight gain is crucial for bone health.
  • Transdermal estrogen (adolescents) and bisphosphonates (adults) represent potential therapeutic options.