Bone Health and Diabetes: What You Need To Know

This content material initially appeared on diaTribe. Republished with permission.

by april hoploft

Necessary factors:

• Individuals with sort 1 and kind 2 diabetes develop osteoporosis and have an elevated threat of bone fractures.
• Sustaining a wholesome weight and consuming a nutritious weight loss plan are the keys to wholesome bones. Specifically, be sure to get sufficient calcium and vitamin D.
• Different methods to scale back your threat of osteoporosis embrace collaborating in common power coaching, getting really helpful assessments, and preserving your blood sugar beneath management.

Except you have not too long ago damaged one thing, bone well being might not be your prime precedence. Nevertheless, preserving bones wholesome is extraordinarily essential, particularly for diabetics who’re at greater threat of osteoporosis.

Even in the event you’ve already been recognized with osteoporosis, it isn’t too late to construct sturdy bones and stop fractures. To know the connection between bone illness and diabetes, we spoke to Dr. Lasa Kazlauskaite, an endocrinologist with intensive expertise in osteoporosis.

What’s osteoporosis?

Osteoporosis is a illness that causes bones to turn out to be weak and brittle. Consequently, even minor stresses similar to falling from a standing place or coughing can improve the danger of fractures, Kazlauskaite stated.

Like pores and skin, bone resides tissue that regularly regrows. Osteoporosis happens when previous bone is misplaced quicker than new bone is created. Typically individuals with osteoporosis don’t discover signs within the early levels. You’ll be able to’t really feel your bones getting smaller or thinner. In later levels, chances are you’ll discover lack of top, hunched posture, or fractures (normally within the backbone, hips, or wrists). Typically the primary signal of osteoporosis is a bone fracture.

“We hear quite a bit about coronary heart assault prevention, however we do not hear in regards to the threat of bone fractures,” Kazlauskaite says.

Though many individuals get well rapidly from relaxation with out problems, fractures might require crutches, a wheelchair, or a walker for an prolonged time frame, particularly in older adults. Extended immobility can result in varied problems and infections, and diabetes can take longer to heal.

Kazlauskaite stated diabetes-related problems, similar to neuropathy and imaginative and prescient issues, also can improve the danger of fractures. For instance, peripheral neuropathy can weaken leg muscle mass, which may result in severe falls. Equally, in case your eyes cannot see correctly, you are extra more likely to journey and fall.

Danger components for osteoporosis

Diabetes doesn’t trigger osteoporosis, however it will possibly improve your threat of creating it. Having diabetes (sort 1 or sort 2) additionally will increase your threat of bone fractures. In sort 1 diabetes, bone density tends to lower and bone formation will be impaired, each of which may result in osteoporosis.

Different threat components embrace:

• getting older: As we age, bone development slows down, bone mass decreases quicker, and the danger of bone illness will increase.
• Organic intercourse: Girls are likely to have smaller and fewer dense bones than males, so they’re typically at greater threat for osteoporosis.
• Ethnicity: Caucasian and Asian girls over the age of fifty are at greater threat of osteoporosis attributable to decrease bone density.
• Hormonal modifications: Girls who’ve reached menopause are at greater threat of osteoporosis attributable to decrease estrogen ranges (decrease estrogen can result in decrease bone density. Additionally, decrease testosterone performs a job in preserving bones sturdy) (which can improve the danger).
• Underweight: Individuals who weigh lower than 125 kilos are at greater threat for osteoporosis.
• Different situations: Kidney failure, liver illness, inflammatory bowel illness, arthritis, and consuming issues can contribute to the event of osteoporosis.
• medication: Some medicine can have an effect on calcium absorption and bone formation, growing the danger of osteoporosis. This contains diabetes drugs similar to sulfonylureas, thiazolidinediones, and SGLT-2 inhibitors, in addition to diuretics (water capsules) used to handle kidney and heart problems.

5 methods to strengthen your bones

Whether or not you might have osteoporosis or are attempting to forestall it, there are various steps you possibly can take to keep up long-term bone well being.

1. Preserve a wholesome weight

Weight administration is a vital facet of osteoporosis prevention. Being underweight or residing with weight problems can improve your threat of thinning bones and fractures.

Typically, smaller individuals are likely to have much less bone mass and are subsequently at greater threat for osteoporosis. Their bones are more likely to turn out to be extra brittle as they age, Kazlauskaite stated.

Weight problems, then again, can improve the danger of fractures, particularly of the tibia (shin bone), humerus (higher arm), and ankle. Weight reduction, particularly fast weight reduction from bariatric surgical procedure, can cut back bone mass and improve the danger of osteoporosis.

2. Follow power coaching

Energy coaching (also referred to as resistance coaching) is well known as a solution to construct muscle, however it will possibly additionally assist keep wholesome bones and cut back the danger of fractures.

Any sort of train that entails weight, similar to strolling, operating, dancing, and even pickleball, places drive in your bones and strengthens them. Weight-bearing train may also help stimulate bone regeneration, Kazlauskaite defined.

A 2022 research discovered that power coaching elevated bone density in girls going via menopause. Energy coaching, similar to weightlifting, additionally improves posture and steadiness, which may also help stop falls. When utilizing free weights or weight machines, we suggest beginning with a small quantity and growing slowly.

Kazlauskaite stated individuals with diabetes are at explicit threat of ankle and tibia fractures, so ensure that to put on applicable footwear for any sort of train. Diabetes-related foot problems, similar to Charcot’s foot, will be associated to undetected fractures. For people who find themselves unable to train attributable to harm, Kazlauskaite really helpful applications similar to OsteoStrong.

3. Eat a weight loss plan wealthy in calcium.

Keep in mind while you had been a child and had been advised to drink each final glass of milk as a result of it builds sturdy bones? That is as a result of milk incorporates calcium, a mineral that helps construct bones and keep power. is. Good sources of calcium embrace milk, cheese, yogurt, seeds, beans, lentils, leafy greens, and fish.

Kazlauskaite really helpful monitoring your calcium consumption via apps like My Health Pal and MyNetDiary. Ideally, you need to eat at the very least 1,000 mg of calcium per day, she stated. Individuals who have gone via menopause might have greater calcium wants (about 1,200 mg per day).

If you cannot get sufficient calcium out of your weight loss plan, dietary supplements may also help. Most individuals begin with calcium citrate, however in the event you expertise unwanted side effects from calcium citrate, chances are you’ll wish to take into account calcium phosphate, Kazlauskaite suggested.

4. Get sufficient vitamin D

Vitamin D can also be essential for sturdy bones as a result of it helps the physique take in calcium. Good sources of vitamin D embrace egg yolks, mushrooms, and sure fish similar to salmon, tuna, and sardines. Some meals are fortified with vitamin D, together with milk, orange juice, cereal, and oatmeal.

In the event you’re taking vitamin D dietary supplements, Kazlauskaite recommends checking your ranges to know what is going on on. Vitamin D ranges must be at the very least 30 ng/mL to forestall osteoporosis. Over-the-counter vitamin D dietary supplements can be found at most drugstores and grocery shops.

In case your well being care supplier cannot supply a vitamin D check for some cause, Kazlauskaite steered a web site, walkinlab.com, the place you possibly can join a low-cost check your self.

5. Get examined for osteoporosis

For diabetics, bone density scans are usually really helpful for ladies who’ve entered menopause and males round age 50, in keeping with the American Diabetes Affiliation.

Kazlauskaite stated individuals with diabetes must be screened for fracture threat as a result of they’re extra more likely to have a fracture. This contains the FRAX threat calculator, fall testing, and analysis with laboratory assessments and bone mineral density (DXA) scans.

For individuals with sort 1 diabetes, a DXA scan is really helpful at prognosis and each 2 to five years. Dr. Kazlauskaite identified that bone density testing ought to embrace trabecular bone rating (TBS).

Therapy of osteoporosis

If you’re recognized with osteoporosis, therapy might embrace drugs and life-style modifications. Widespread medicine to deal with osteoporosis are bisphosphonates, similar to alendronate. One other therapy is denosumab, which is given each six months. Apparently, new analysis reveals that alendronate and denosumab might cut back the danger of creating sort 2 diabetes.

Hormone remedy could also be really helpful for ladies who’ve reached menopause or for individuals with low testosterone. As with osteoporosis prevention, a key a part of therapy is preserving bones sturdy and wholesome. This contains common train, a nutritious weight loss plan, and sustaining a wholesome weight.

conclusion

It is by no means too early to consider osteoporosis and begin taking steps to strengthen your bones. Managing diabetes via wholesome life-style modifications and preserving blood sugar ranges inside goal ranges can go a good distance in lowering the danger of problems similar to osteoporosis.