People with celiac disease may be more susceptible to osteoporosis because their own immune system attacks their bone tissue, a new study suggests.

People with celiac disease have a serious intolerance to gluten, found in wheat, rye, spelt, barley and other grains. Gluten can cause an immune system reponse that damages the small intensine in people with the disease.

About 20 per cent of celiac patients produce antibodies that target a key protein called osteoprotegerin that maintains bone health, Scottish researchers reported in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine.

The result is rapid bone destruction and severe osteoporosis, Prof. Stuart Ralston of the Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine at the University of Edinburgh and his colleagues found.

"Not only have we discovered a new reason to explain why osteoporosis occurs in celiac disease, but we have also found that it responds very well to drugs that prevent bone tissue removal," Ralston said in a release.

Previously, it was thought that people with celiac disease may be more likely to develop the bone-thinning condition because they may have problems absorbing calcium and vitamin D from their diet. The two nutrients are key to the development of healthy bones.

The antibodies against osteoprotegerin were found in three of 15 patients with celiac disease, but not in 10 healthy controls or 14 people with autoimmune hypothyroidism.

According to the Celiac Association of Canada website, an estimated one in 133 people in Canada are affected by the disease.

Several of the researchers reported relationships with pharmaceutical companies or patent applications involving osteoprotegerin antibodies for a diagnostic test and treatment.