Osteoporosis – the thinning of bones that can lead to dangerous fractures – can be a direct result of starvation and emotional stress, and is common among Holocaust survivors, according to a bone expert at Sheba Medical Center. Dr. Iris Vered of the osteoporosis service in the Tel Hashomer hospital’s endocrine institute has completed a unique study of a large number of survivors. She found that women and men who were children or teens during World War II, when their bones were developing, are at higher risk of decalcified bones than contemporaries who did not live through those terrible years. News of her study was published in the medical center’s September newsletter.
Holocaust survivors tended to suffer from severe shortages of vitamin D and other vitamins, proteins, calcium and phosphorus due to their minimal diet, whether in concentration camps or hiding. Starvation and traumatic events also reduce the production of sex hormones, which also harms bone mass. In girls, the onset of menstruation was delayed, and this too affected bone development, according to Vered. Post-traumatic stress disorder that is chronic is many Holocaust survivors increases the release of the stress hormone cortisol, which is another risk factor for osteoporosis, she noted, and people suffering from depression who take SSRI drugs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) are at higher risk for osteoporosis."
