|  | Conditions Treatments | Osteoporosis

The Effect of Starvation on Human Bones

In cases of starvation or severe malnutrition, all body systems and tissues are affected, but bone demineralization, bone growth failure and deterioration or loss in bone mass are of significant concern because they can be irreversible.

  1. Starvation and Bone Growth

    • Starvation and malnutrition, particularly deficiencies in calcium, vitamin D and protein, all adversely affect bones in the body. Effects of starvation on human bones include rickets, brittle bones and osteoporosis, as well as critically reduced bone mass.

    Rickets

    • Rickets, or osteomalacia, according to the Mayo Clinic, is a softening and/or deformation of a child's bones characterized by bowing of the legs and is caused by malnutrition, particularly vitamin D deficiency. Rickets can be treated with vitamin D therapy, but some bone deformation may be permanent.

    Kwashiorkor

    • Kwashiorkor is a deficiency in protein usually found in famine-plagued areas. Existing bones are "cannibalized" by the body as a source of protein, and bones then become thin and brittle, leading to osteoporosis, according to the National Library of Medicine.

    Osteoporosis

    • A bone disease that increases the risk of fracturing and breaking, osteoporosis occurs when bone mineral density is reduced, sometimes due to malnutrition, and bone structure starts to break down. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), while aging is considered a major factor in osteoporosis, starvation and malnutrition are also significant causes.

    Anorexia

    • Anorexics, people who starve themselves, risk permanent bone damage. Adolescents are particularly at risk because bone mass can be critically reduced, which can stunt growth, according to Dr. Jane Mitchell Rees of the Department of Health Services and Pediatrics at the University of Washington.

Osteoporosis - Related Articles