Keywords

These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

Bone and skin are connective tissues, and in both the major organic constitute is type I ­collagen. The relationship between skin and bone has been investigated in many articles. Savas et al. [1] reported a simultaneous decrease in skin collagen content, skin thickness and bone mineral density in women with a 4-year period of amenorrhoea due to anorexia nervosa (AN). This association supports the hypothesis that a generalized loss of collagen is a major factor in the causation of osteoporosis following oestrogen deficiency.

Moreover, in AN there is often a vegetarian lifestyle that has an impact on fat metabolism causing a remarkable stimulation of carnitine uptake and a reduction in collagen synthesis-associated genes [2]. In addition, an increased risk of osteoporosis, which is also known to be associated with a lowered collagen synthesis, has been associated in vegetarians with a low cobalamin (vitamin B12) status.