Young Women With Type 1 Diabetes: Mind Your Bones
Women in their 20’s to 30’s who have type 1 Diabetes should pay special attention to their bones, according to a recent study published in the journal Diabetes Care.
Researchers have known for some time that bone mineral density (BMD) tends to be lower in women with Type 1 diabetes compared to age-matched women without diabetes. This new study followed 63 participants (15-39 years old) for two years to determine just how much BMD changed over time for young diabetics.
BMD is an X-ray measurement of bone strength and an important indicator of a person’s risk for a bone fracture. A decrease in BMD is often associated with a greater chance of breaking a bone, especially when the bone density changes occur at the hip, spine or wrist bones.
The results of the study showed that type 1 diabetic women, 20 years old or older, had lower BMD compared to non-diabetic women of the same ages, and the decline in bone mass persisted for the length of the study (two years).
The researchers admit that their study included a relatively small number of participants who lived in a single community and so may not reflect all diabetic women in general.
