It makes logical sense that having denser bones should make them naturally stronger and less likely to fracture. Generally that is the case and improving bone density should actually help ensure your wellbeing for longer, especially later in life. However, new research suggests that patients of diabetes could have a higher risk of fracture even if they have higher bone density. It is thought that blood-sugar control could be to blame.
The study, conducted by researchers at the Erasmus Medical Center, suggests that poorly controlled blood-sugar levels put Type 2 diabetes patients at a higher risk of fracturing their bones. This was true even if their bone density was the same as people who did not have diabetes. Patients with poor blood-sugar control had a 47 to 62 percent higher risk of fracture than patients with good blood-sugar control or those without diabetes.
The study looked at 4,135 participants. The 420 participants with Type 2 diabetes were split into two groups according to their levels of blood-sugar control. The first group consisted of patients with adequate to good control of their blood-sugar. The second group was composed of patients with poor levels. There was also a third test group comprising people without diabetes.
The researchers then measured different bone characteristics, including bone mineral density, cortical thickness and thickness of the femoral neck. The patients in the lowest group were found to have up to 5.6 percent higher bone mineral density, up to 5.6 percent thicker cortical and up to 1.8 percent narrower femoral necks.
Nevertheless, patients with low blood-sugar control still had a 62 percent higher risk of bone fracture than diabetes patients with adequate levels of control. The authors have suggested that while the bones of the low group appeared healthy, they may actually be in worse condition because they do not repair themselves well.
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