Type 2 diabetes may negatively impact bone density around the age of peak bone mass, according to a study published in Diabetes Care. Researchers compared bone health in youth with type 2 diabetes to control patients with obesity or healthy weight. The analysis included youth (56% African American; 67% female) aged 10 to 23 with type 2 diabetes (180 patients), obesity (BMI >95th; 226 patients), or healthy weight (BMI <85th; 238 patients).The researchers observed age-dependent differences in areal bone mineral density (aBMD) and lean BMI z scores between the three groups. In children, aBMD and lean BMI z scores were greater in the type 2 diabetes group versus the obese group, while among adolescents and young adults, aBMD and lean BMI z scores were lower in the type 2 diabetes group versus the obese group. aBMD was approximately 0.5 standard deviations lower for a given lean BMI z score in the type 2 diabetes group and the obese group versus healthy-weight control patients. aBMD also was lower in those with greater visceral fat. “Results from this study suggest that type 2 diabetes in youth may have a detrimental effect on bone accrual during the critical window of peak bone mass attainment irrespective of obesity status,” the authors write.
