Bone Mass and Density in Youth With Type 2 Diabetes, Obesity, and Healthy Weight

OBJECTIVE Youth-onset type 2 diabetes is an aggressive condition with increasing incidence. Adults with type 2 diabetes have increased fracture risk despite normal areal bone mineral density (aBMD), but the influence of diabetes on the growing skeleton is unknown. We compared bone health in youth with type 2 diabetes to control patients with obesity or healthy weight. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Cross-sectional study of youth (56% African American, 67% female) ages 10-23 years with type 2 diabetes (n= 180), obesity (BMI >95th;n= 226), or healthy weight (BMI n= 238). Whole-body (less head) aBMD and lean mass as well as abdominal visceral fat were assessed via DXA. Lean BMI (LBMI) and aBMD SD scores (zscores) were computed using published reference data. RESULTS We observed age-dependent differences in aBMD and LBMIzscores between the healthy weight, obese, and type 2 diabetes groups. In children, aBMD and LBMIzscores were greater in the type 2 diabetes group versus the obese group, but in adolescents and young adults, aBMD and LBMIzscores were lower in the type 2 diabetes group versus the obese group (age interactionsP< 0.05). In the type 2 diabetes group and the obese group, aBMD was about 0.5 SDs lower for a given LBMIzscore compared with healthy weight control patients (P< 0.05). Further, aBMD was lower in those with greater visceral fat (beta = -0.121,P= 0.047). CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that type 2 diabetes may be detrimental to bone density around the age of peak bone mass. Given the increased fracture risk in adults with type 2 diabetes, there is a pressing need for longitudinal studies aimed at understanding the influence of diabetes on the growing skeleton.