Skip to main content
About the Institute
  • English
  • Français
  • Español
  • Portuguese
  • Polish

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. The power of your gut
  3. Osteoporosis: when the gut microbiota digests vitamin D poorly
  • Learn all about microbiota
    • The gut microbiota
    • The ENT microbiota
    • The pulmonary microbiota
    • The urinary microbiota
    • The skin microbiota
    • The vaginal microbiota
  • Microbiota and related conditions
    • Digestive disorders
    • Women disorders
    • Metabolic disorders
    • Skin disorders
    • Pediatric disorders
    • Psychiatric disorders
    • Neurological disorders
    • Respiratory disorders
    • Urinary disorders
  • Act on your microbiota
    • Probiotics
    • Prebiotics
    • Fecal Microbiota Transplant
    • Diet
  • Publications
    • Thematics folders
    • News
    • Press room
    About the Institute

    Join the microbiota community

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

Healthcare professionals section

Find here your dedicated section
Biocodex logo
The power of your gut
My microbiota as a woman
Our marvelous microbiota

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. The power of your gut
  3. Osteoporosis: when the gut microbiota digests vitamin D poorly
The power of your gut

Osteoporosis: when the gut microbiota digests vitamin D poorly

Osteoporosis
The gut microbiota Diet

When we talk about osteoporosis, we immediately think of vitamin D. And for good reason! Vitamin D promotes the intestinal absorption of calcium and is therefore essential to good bone health. A first reflex is to consume more of it; but is this enough? The answer may lie in our gut microbiota.

The power of your gut
My microbiota as a woman
Our marvelous microbiota
  • Learn all about microbiota
    • The gut microbiota
    • The ENT microbiota
    • The pulmonary microbiota
    • The urinary microbiota
    • The skin microbiota
    • The vaginal microbiota
  • Microbiota and related conditions
    • Digestive disorders
    • Women disorders
    • Metabolic disorders
    • Skin disorders
    • Pediatric disorders
    • Psychiatric disorders
    • Neurological disorders
    • Respiratory disorders
    • Urinary disorders
  • Act on your microbiota
    • Probiotics
    • Prebiotics
    • Fecal Microbiota Transplant
    • Diet
  • Publications
    • Thematics folders
    • News
    • Press room
    About the Institute

    Join the microbiota community

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

Healthcare professionals section

Find here your dedicated section
Biocodex logo

Sources

This article is based on scientific information

Sharing is caring

Your friends might be interested in this topic. Why not share it?

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Mail

About this article

Created 12 May 2022
Updated 19 May 2022

The disease is linked to aging and affects more than 200 million people worldwide. One of the main pieces of advice from specialists upon diagnosis is to supplement our diet with vitamin D. However, to be useful to our bones, vitamin D must be absorbed by our gut once consumed. After studying this crucial step, a team of Chinese researchers formulated a hypothesis: the gut microbiota plays a key role in this process.

Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a progressive disease characterized by a deterioration of the internal structure of bones and a gradual decrease in bone density.

Groundbreaking study on the link between osteoporosis, the gut microbiota, and vitamin D

It all started with a simple observation: patients with severe osteoporosis have low blood levels of vitamin D, which is associated with increased gastrointestinal disorders, suggesting the gut microbiota may be involved in severe osteoporosis. What’s more, previous studies have assessed the gut microbiota’s potential as a diagnostic tool. The team tested their hypothesis on 36 patients who were given the same diet for the duration of the study. Divided into two groups according to the stage of the disease (primary or severe), the patients’ gut microbiota and blood vitamin D levels were examined. This is the first time that the relationship between osteoporosis severity, the gut flora, and vitamin D status has been studied.

200 million Osteoporosis affects more than 200 million people worldwide.

Microbiota varies according to severity…

The first finding was that patients with severe osteoporosis have a more diverse gut flora than those with a less advanced form. One key observation was the lower abundance of Bifidobacterium in patients with severe osteoporosis, with this bacterium already known to be involved in the intestinal absorption of certain fats and vitamins.

21,2% of women aged 50 and over worldwide are affected by osteoporosis,

6,3% compared to only 6.3% of men from the same age group.

(sidenote: Epidemiology of osteoporosis and fragility fractures_International Osteoporosis Foundation
Kanis, J.A. et al., A reference standard for the description of osteoporosis. Bone 2008. 42: p. 467-75
)

… as do blood levels of vitamin D

The second finding was that patients with severe osteoporosis have significantly lower blood levels of vitamin D than patients in the primary stage. Since both patient groups received the same diet (and therefore the same amount of vitamin D) for the duration of the study, the difference may therefore lie in intestinal absorption.

Together, these two findings suggest the gut microbiota’s involvement in vitamin D absorption.

The mechanism involved is not yet known, but this is still a major advance which opens up interesting prospects for the therapeutic management of osteoporosis via the microbiota.

The gut microbiota

Find out more
Sources

Cheng J, Zhong WL, Zhao JW, et al. Alterations in the composition of the gut microbiota affect absorption of cholecalciferol in severe osteoporosis. J Bone Miner Metab. 2022 Feb 1.

Tags
Osteoporosis Diet Vitamines Aging Age-related condition Bones

en_view en_sources

    See also

    Actu GP : Analyser le microbiote intestinal pour déterminer le risque d’ostéoporose ? Can an analysis of the gut microbiota determine the risk of osteoporosis?
    Natural remedies against osteoporosis?
    Created 12 May 2022
    Updated 19 May 2022

    About this article

    To know more about this topic.

    Main topic

    Osteoporosis

    Related microbiotas

    The gut microbiota

    Related topics

    Diet
    The power of your gut

    Microbiota and Autism spectrum disorders

    Microbiota disruptions in the first years of life, when our intestinal flora and brain are developing, can ...

    Find out more

    Metabolic syndrome

    Metabolic syndrome represents a collection of metabolic problems associated with obesity, such as hypertrig...

    Find out more

    Digestive disorders

    Find out more

    Functional gastrointestinal disorders

    Functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGDs), the most common intestinal afflictions, are a collection of c...

    Find out more

    Infantile colic

    “My newborn baby’s cry is the most heartbreaking sound I’ve ever heard”.1 So confess many parents who turn ...

    Find out more

    Probiotics

    Probiotics: essential information for understanding and choosing them correctly. What exactly are probiotic...

    Find out more

    Pediatric disorders

    Find out more

    The gut microbiota

    Gut microbiota: why is it that important for your health? We have trillions1 of bacteria that populate our ...

    Find out more

    Latest news

    News
    Cancer du pancréas : bientôt un diagnostic précoce via le microbiote fécal ?
    24.06.2022

    Pancreatic cancer: soon an early diagnosis via the fecal microbiota?

    Read the article
    09.05.2022

    Is it normal that antibiotics give my child diarrhea?

    Read the article
    Un régime méditerranéen, bon pour le corps, bon pour le cœur
    16.06.2022

    The Mediterranean diet: good for the body, good for the heart

    Read the article
    16.05.2022

    Gut microbiota: still many things to be discovered

    Read the article
    16.05.2022

    What is your best advice for aging well?

    Read the article
    13.05.2022

    What is putting me in such a good mood today?

    Read the article
    02.03.2021

    Asthma: breathing in some fresh air on the farm!

    Read the article
    Anorexie : la piste du microbiote intestinal ?
    03.06.2022

    Anorexia: the gut microbiota pathway?

    Read the article
    My health, my microbiota
    Follow our Facebook page
    Our marvelous microbiota
    Get to understand our microbiota and the role they play in our body
    Find your dedicated section
    Healthcare professionals
    • Learn all about microbiota
      • The gut microbiota
      • The ENT microbiota
      • The pulmonary microbiota
      • The urinary microbiota
      • The skin microbiota
      • The vaginal microbiota
    • Microbiota and related conditions
      • Digestive disorders
      • Women disorders
      • Metabolic disorders
      • Skin disorders
      • Pediatric disorders
      • Psychiatric disorders
      • Neurological disorders
      • Respiratory disorders
      • Urinary disorders
    • Act on your microbiota
      • Probiotics
      • Prebiotics
      • Fecal Microbiota Transplant
      • Diet
    • Publications
      • Thematics folders
      • News
      • Press room
      About the Institute

      Join the microbiota community

      • Facebook
      • Twitter
      • YouTube

    Healthcare professionals section

    Find here your dedicated section
    Biocodex logo
    The power of your gut
    My microbiota as a woman
    Our marvelous microbiota
    • English
    • Français
    • Español
    • Portuguese
    • Polish

    Browse the site

    • Learn all about microbiota
      • The gut microbiota
      • The ENT microbiota
      • The pulmonary microbiota
      • The urinary microbiota
      • The skin microbiota
      • The vaginal microbiota
    • Microbiota and related conditions
      • Digestive disorders
      • Women disorders
      • Metabolic disorders
      • Skin disorders
      • Pediatric disorders
      • Psychiatric disorders
      • Neurological disorders
      • Respiratory disorders
      • Urinary disorders
    • Act on your microbiota
      • Probiotics
      • Prebiotics
      • Fecal Microbiota Transplant
      • Diet
    • Publications
      • Thematics folders
      • News
      • Press room
      About the Institute

      Join the microbiota community

      • Facebook
      • Twitter
      • YouTube

    Healthcare professionals section

    Find here your dedicated section
    Biocodex logo

    Discover

    The power of your gut
    My microbiota as a woman
    Our marvelous microbiota

    Join the microbiota community

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

    Healthcare professionals section

    Find here your dedicated section

    Redirection

    You are about to be redirected and leave our website

    • Be redirected
    • Stay on the Biocodex Microbiota Institute's website

    Stay with us !

    Join the microbiota community and receive "The Essentials" once a month to stay up to date with the latest news on the microbiota.

    * Mandatory Fields

    BMI 20-35

    Explore

    Cancer du pancréas : bientôt un diagnostic précoce via le microbiote fécal ?
    24.06.2022

    Pancreatic cancer: soon an early diagnosis via the fecal microbiota?

    Read the article
    Un régime méditerranéen, bon pour le corps, bon pour le cœur
    16.06.2022

    The Mediterranean diet: good for the body, good for the heart

    Read the article

    Urinary disorders

    Find out more

    Stay updated

    Join the Microbiota Community and receive once a month “The Essential” to stay up to date on the latest news about microbiota.

    * Mandatory Fields

    BMI 20-35

    • Learn all about microbiota
      • The gut microbiota
      • The ENT microbiota
      • The pulmonary microbiota
      • The urinary microbiota
      • The skin microbiota
      • The vaginal microbiota
    • Microbiota and related conditions
      • Digestive disorders
      • Women disorders
      • Metabolic disorders
      • Skin disorders
      • Pediatric disorders
      • Psychiatric disorders
      • Neurological disorders
      • Respiratory disorders
      • Urinary disorders
    • Act on your microbiota
      • Probiotics
      • Prebiotics
      • Fecal Microbiota Transplant
      • Diet
    • Publications
      • Thematics folders
      • News
      • Press room
      About the Institute

      Join the microbiota community

      • Facebook
      • Twitter
      • YouTube

    Healthcare professionals section

    Find here your dedicated section
    Biocodex logo

    Discover

    The power of your gut
    My microbiota as a woman
    Our marvelous microbiota

    Healthcare professionals section

    Find here your dedicated section

    Join the microbiota community

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

    © 2022 Biocodex. All rights reserved.

    • Cookies Policy
    • Data protection policy
    • GTU
    • Sitemap
    • Cookies settings
    Biocodex logo