Gwyneth Paltrow Diagnosed with Osteopenia the Precursor to Osteoporosis

Gwyneth Paltrow now joins Sally Field and Joan Rivers in the fight against osteoporosis. Just shows that even health conscious people like Miss Paltrow with her exercise regimes and diets can fall foul to this disease.

According to the Daily Mail Miss Paltrow has been diagnosed with osteopenia, which is the precursor to osteoporosis the brittle-bone disease.

I am sure that this has been quite a shock for Miss Paltrow as she is only 37 and this disease is more common on elderly women.

Is it possible that the harsh diets that Gwyneth Paltrow believed would keep her in top- notch condition have actually been her downfall?

Gwyneth Paltrow was given the diagnosis after a bone scan taken after she had suffered a leg fracture.

In her internet news letter Goop she reported that, ' My doctors tested my vitamin D levels, which turned out to be the lowest they had ever seen (not a good thing).'

Miss Paltrow, the Oscar winner for her role in Shakespeare in Love, has now been prescribed prescription strength vitamin D and told to spend some time in the sun.

Osteoporosis is a disease that makes your bones weak with a higher chance of them breaking. More commonly seen in older women the disease can also affect men.

This disease is a silent disease and may not be discovered until you are treated for a broken bone, just like Gwyneth Paltrow.

It is believed that osteoporosis can be caused by too much exercise and too little calcium. It is because of this that has led to the speculation that the actress's life style may have some bearing on her condition.

In 1999 it is reported that Miss Paltrow began to follow a macrobiotic diet that concentrates on fish, soup, grains and vegetables.

She took a break from the diet between 2003 and 2006 when she had her children, Apple and Moses.

After returning to the diet she did in fact follow a less intense version but admits that she 'does not consume many dairy products'.

Some useful books recommended by osteoporosis survivors

B.O.N.E.S.: Beating Osteoporosis Naturally, Easily, Sensibly by Robert Pirello and Bernardo A. Merizaldo

Better Bones, Better Body: Beyond Estrogen and Calcium by Susan Brown and Russell Jaffe

Strong Women, Strong Bones: updated by Miriam E Nelson and Sarah Wernick